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The West River's Edge Skating Loop is closed until next winter.
On Thursday (Mar. 23) morning, signs were put up around the skating loop marking that the natural rink is closed for the season.
Keith Hart, an operator with the City of Fort Saskatchewan, says many factors come into play when checking if the ice is safe to skate on.
"We do drill tests to determine the thickness of the ice. We do them every week. Another one we do is a visual inspection of the shoreline for any ice seperation or accumulating water. There's a third one that's the overall melt in the ice altogether," Hart said.
In this case, the city decided to close the rink down after a layer of water formed above the ice.
"It's just not enjoyable or even safe for anybody to skate."
Although the skating loop is closed for the season, Hart plans for it to be back and better than ever next year.
"Next winter, come on down. There's always something to do. It's not just the skating loop. We make hockey rinks and little mazes," said Hart.
"It's a great time down there."