The water park at the G.H. Dawe Community Centre was expected to reopen today after being shut down due to bacterial concerns.
The facility’s co-ordinator, Erin Low, said routine tests turned up “inconsistencies” in the quality of the pool’s water. As a result, the water park was closed on Monday until water quality met or exceeded provincial standards.
“We were taking it seriously and erring on the side of caution,” said Low, who added the centre’s staff were working closely with health inspectors to get rid of unwanted bacteria.
Garth Gosselin, manager of environmental and public health for Alberta Health Services, said there’s a zero tolerance for bacteria pseudomonas, which turned up in the pool.
But it’s not uncommon for such bacteria to crop up in all chlorinated public pools, stressed Gosselin, who added it happens very regularly, regardless of how well pools are run. “It doesn’t mean there’s a system failure or a poor operator.”
In fact, he credited G.H. Dawe centre staff for taking prompt action. “They run a good pool. This is a good example of them responding to the routine tests they do.”
On Tuesday, workers were disinfecting and pressure-washing the pool deck. Low said they were also increasing chlorine levels in the water to prevent bacterial growth. “We closed the facility so the public would not be exposed to these harsh chemicals,” she added.
The latest results indicated the water park could be reopened this morning.
However, the hot tub will remain closed for up to 10 days. During the closure, a leak was discovered in the hot tub, requiring it to remain closed until some re-tiling can be done, said Low.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com