Vancouver’s iconic Kitsilano Pool is leaking as it approaches its end-of-life.
At a Vancouver Park Board meeting Dec. 11, commissioners were told the current state of the pool, one of the city’s busiest warm-weather attractions, is untenable going forward.
A report to the board said the pool, opened in 1931, is an aging asset and cited ongoing water loss of 30,000 litres per hour, damage sustained during the January 2022 King Tide event and the fact the pool is located within a coastal floodplain as major challenges.
It also noted a 2023 fire where the Kitsilano Showboat, a community stage adjacent to the pool, was damaged.
“Despite a significant upgrade in 2018, and subsequent efforts over the last two years to address the 2021 damage, technical specialists have come to the conclusion that the pool will not be reliably operational going forward,” a spokesperson from the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation said in an email to the Journal of Commerce.
“This will mean possible impacts for our 2024 outdoor pool season. This damage is due to catastrophic mechanical and structural damage to the pool basin, the pool structure and perimeter drains sustained during weather events from November 2021 and January 2022, including a combined storm surge and king tide which caused significant damage to the infrastructure.”
Significant assessments and repair work have been undertaken in 2022-2023, but despite this activity, the pool is leaking approximately 30,000 litres an hour. The exact pathways of leaks are still being explored with additional investigations underway. While the pool is in operation, de-chlorination tablets are added daily to prevent deleterious material from entering the environment,” the spokesperson added.
The report to the board pointed to slab uplift and cracking along with substantial water loss from recirculation pipework as primary issues, adding the exact locations of leaks and the conditions of piping are unknown though initial scoping indicates multiple instances of pipe shearing and breakage.
The report recommended a feasibility study to evaluate renewal options with outcomes of the study in a subsequent report to inform 2027-2030 Capital Plan decisions.
“The Park Board works closely with the City of Vancouver’s REFM department – Real Estate, Environment and Facilities Management. REFM is responsible for managing the planning and delivery of capital maintenance of all City-owned facilities including pools and works closely with Park Board staff to identify and prioritize capital maintenance needs. Park Board is responsible for service delivery through the day-to-day operation of the pool, including operating the pool equipment in accordance with health and safety standards, lifeguarding, administration, and regular facility cleaning,” the spokesperson said.
“Park Board’s teams including our recreation, engineering and operations departments work collaboratively with REFM to solve issues like the damage caused by the 2021-2022 storm season. They will be working together to advance a plan for renewal of Kits pool through a proposed feasibility study,” they added.
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