Sportsplex pool likely to reopen Monday: Official

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This article was published 27/11/2013 (4437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Sportsplex manager says he and his staff have tentatively targeted Monday for the reopening of the recently repaired pool.

Jeff Elliott says it was a loose fitting in the pool’s main line pipe that caused the leak that forced its closure. The closure means staff have been working the phones to find alternate sites for pool programs. But, on the bright side, Elliott said the problem is fixed.

“I’m pretty confident we won’t see any more incidents like this,” Elliott said during an interview on Tuesday.

Staff found the leak in the line around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday when it was noticed that the pool level had dropped. Elliott said staff checked the basement where they found a large amount of water, and it was discovered that one of the fittings on the line had “popped” off.

The main line connects to the bottom of the pool. Water from the pool passes through the line and the filtration system before it’s returned to the pool through jets around its perimeter.

The leaked water was confined to the facility’s dirt-floor basement and didn’t cause any structural damage, Elliott said. Portable pumps were used to drain the water from the basement and pool.

Elliott said this leak was linked to a previous rupture in the pipe in the basement in May 2012, which was the result of the pool’s original construction.

When it was built, the pool’s main line pipe was placed too close to a piling cap which forms part of the building’s foundation. Pool plumbing vibrates slightly and, over 30 years, the pipe rubbed against the piling cap until it ruptured in May 2012.

When the line was repaired, a new style of fitting was used to join segments of the line, but it was later suspected that the motion of the pool lines was working those fittings loose.

There was a leak in March of this year and the fittings were tightened in the belief that had fixed the problem. However, on Saturday, one of the fittings “popped” off, Elliott said, resulting in the latest problem.

This time, the line was repaired using the old style of fitting, and Elliott said he’s confident that has fixed the problem.

In addition, a valve was installed that will contain the water in the pool if there’s a problem in the future. That will allow the line to be repaired without draining the pool, which should ensure the pool can be used without disruption during a repair.

“We’ve gone one step further to make sure that it’s even better,” Elliott said.

The repair is done, but the pool remains closed as it’s being filled with 1,240,470 litres of water which needs to be heated to 30 C.

Water started to flow back into the pool on Monday evening and it’s expected to be full by Thursday morning.

Once the pool is full, the water typically takes three to four days to heat. Elliott said staff are targeting Monday for reopening, but even that is tentative. In the meantime, alternate arrangements are being made for Sportsplex swimmers.

The pool is used for a host of activities — swimming lessons for the public and school children, for example, and water safety and life-guarding lessons. It’s also used for Brandon Bluefins swimming team practice.

When it comes to prepaid swimming lessons, nobody will lose pool time, Elliott said. Missed lessons will be added on to the end of the schedule.

“Nobody will be shortchanged as far as lessons go.”

This week’s class for the Aquatic Leadership program, which trains water safety instructors, will likely be moved to the Lakeview Inn and Suites. Sportsplex staff are also looking for an alternate site for lifesaving courses.

Elliott said the Bluefins will be offered time to make up for lost practice. Any lost swimming lessons for Brandon School Division students will be either removed from the contract with the division, or students will be offered alternate swim time.

There’s no bill yet for the emergency repair, but Elliott estimates it will cost roughly $2,000.

Money for the repair will be pulled out of the operating budget, but Elliott said no programs will be affected.

Non-pool-related programs at the Sportsplex are not affected.

» ihitchen@brandonsun.com