The leaks in Pitt Meadows’ outdoor pool have been plugged, a fix achieved within a budget of $80,000.
Repairs on the 66-year-old structure are nearly complete and involve replacing all its water lines, as well as excavating and removing the concrete pool deck.
Once the site is back-filled and levelled, concrete will be injected to seal cracks in the concrete blocks and the pool tank.
The fix means the pool will be open this summer and for many more to come.
“We are pretty happy to have the pool back for a number of years, “ said Kelly Swift, general manager for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Parks and Leisure Services.
“We are confident it will open back up this summer in better condition than it’s been in for a long time. We have really struggled to keep the water temperature at an appropriate level for the last couple of years.”
The pool had been leaking heated chlorinated water into the ground for years, but the leak grew from 8,300 litres per in 2008 to more than 25,000 litres last year - an amount roughly equal to 1.5 million litres over the course of the outdoor pool’s two-month season.
The pool normally costs $22,000 to operate for its two-month season, independent of labour costs. Those costs would have continued to creep higher, if the leaks were not fixed.
Operating costs last year were around $35,000.
Council set a budget of $80,000 for the parks department to investigate and fix the leaks.
Swift said everyone involved is pleased that they were able to plug the leaks within that budget, even though workers discovered a second concrete deck after they began digging around the pool.
“There’s a dual attachment to the pool. Swim lessons happen there during summer and there is a huge sentimental value to it,” she added.
There is no timeline for when Pitt Meadows will see a new indoor aquatic centre, but the city is currently saving for one.
The parks and leisure services department proposed an indoor aquatic centre replace the aging outdoor pool in its master plan, which was presented to both municipalities last year.
The preferred option would include a shallow leisure pool with an eight- to 10-lane, 25-metre competition pool.
The plan suggests splitting the municipal portion of the cost for the $15-18 million project between the City of Pitt Meadows and the District of Maple Ridge.
The Hammond and Harris Road pools will open July 1.