As many local “human fish” are likely aware, the Brennan Park Recreation Centre aquatic centre is currently closed for three weeks for annual pool maintenance. Pool closures happen at almost every community pool at about this time of year.
During maintenance, the approximately 950 cubic metres of water in the pool and hot tub are drained. The tiles are scrubbed and cleaned, as are the grates and filters.
The steam room and change rooms get a good scrub as well.
Yearly maintenance extends the life of the aquatic center, which was built in 1992, and helps prevent larger more costly problems, according to District of Squamish staff.
Maintenance is carried out on all overhead play equipment – such as the rope swing and ladder – and a diving board handrail is being installed.
This year, a new $195,000 ultraviolet light system is being installed on all three pools at the centre. “It will save on water because we won’t have to do so much water dumping,” said Camilla Say, facilities manager at the District. The new system will also reduce the number of filter cleans and chemical adjustments needed. “Some of the water will go through the system all of the time… it is going to make a huge difference on the quality of the pool,” Say added.
All of the change room lockers, which are the original ones put in when the centre was built, are being replaced.
“They are quite rusty and difficult to maintain now,” Say said.
Filling the large pool and the centre’s two smaller pools doesn’t have much of an impact on the municipality’s water supply, according to Say.
The amount of water replaced is less than eight per cent of daily usage of Squamish residents in August, according to District staff.
Refilling takes four days, therefore, the impact on the town’s water supply is two per cent per day.
September is the best time to close for maintenance, Say said, because fewer people want to slip on their suits as children go back to school and families get back into their post-summer routine. It is also the time of year when the water table – the upper level of the underground surface – is at its lowest level after a hot and dry summer. A lower water table ensures the pool basins won’t be damaged when emptying the pool, according to Say.
Year over year, the aquatic centre has seen a dramatic increase in visitors, according to District of Squamish figures.
In 2016, almost 63,000 drop-in swimmers splashed into the pool, up from 60,000 in 2015. About 7,500 swimmers were registered in programs at the pool in 2016, up from approximately 7,000 in 2015.
The aquatic centre reopens on Oct. 1.
