A car has been submerged in an Alberta lake for nearly 1 year

A rural resident northeast of Edmonton is getting the runaround in his attempt to get a car removed from an area lake that's been submerged for nearly one year.

A rural resident northeast of Edmonton is getting the runaround in his attempt to get a car removed from an area lake that’s been submerged for nearly one year.

Roland Letendre came upon the submerged Mazda car while fishing on Floatingstone Lake in St. Paul County in the spring.

“I saw this yellow thing in the water and I was going, ‘What is that?’”

The car is submerged in a shallower area of the lake near the shore, and sits just below the water’s surface. RCMP told Global News the car went through the ice on Nov. 26, 2023, while its occupants were ice fishing.

Letendre is worried about the environmental impact the car is having on the lake, its habitat and the people who use the body of water.

“We’ve got engine oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, differential fluid, windshield washer — all of these chemicals are going into the water,” Letendre said.

Letendre has contacted officials from the county, province, fish and wildlife, as well as the RCMP. He’s been getting the runaround.

“I called Fish and Wildlife, they told me to call the RCMP. When I called the RCMP, they said to call the County of St. Paul. I called the County of St. Paul, they said call the RCMP.