At the District of Houston council meeting on Dec. 19, 2017 counsellor Tim Anderson asked District of Houston staff, “What is the status of the steam room, pool water colour, and the new grates that the public have been tripping on?”
Tasha Kelly, manager of leisure services for the District of Houston, said, “We have received the steel grating that we needed to put over the pipes of the steam room and have been installed. But we are now waiting on the technician to complete the plumbing of the steam room.”
Kelly said that the safety covers cover the metal piping that the steam escapes from, and that the system was reconfigured and now has a longer steam pipe and larger escape holes.
Kelly added that the technician has been delayed due to a project in Prince Rupert.
Minerals in the new sand that was purchased was the cause for the discoloration of the pool water, but is on its way back to being clear.
“The pool is changing back to the crystal clear blue water that we used to have,” said Kelly. “We’ve chalked it up to the minerals in the water. We have five sand filters that filter pool water. Sand is required to be replaced every seven to 10 years. The fine minerals in the sand were released once we began circulating the water again.”
A chemical bonding agent was added shortly after the Houston Leisure Facility reopened in November 2017 to help remove the minerals from the pool.
“Thanks to patron usage and continuous back washes, we have flushed the discolored water out. The green water was never a safety concern,” said Kelly.
During the annual shutdown, the pool grates were replaced with domed drains.
“The new domed drain covers are in compliance with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act,” said Kelly.
Flat grates are a safety concern that can lead to drowning of patrons being sucked to the bottom of the pool if one were cracked.
“The main drains induce water circulation and used to empty a pool. A malfunctioning or broken drain cover can become a suction hazard. Suction hazards have led to fatal limb entrapment, hair entanglement, and drowning deaths,” said Kelly.
Kelly said that as a part of the refurbish project for the Houston Leisure Facility, all drain covers had to be replaced as they were past 10 years of age.
“The old flat style are no longer available to order through suppliers. In order to provide the best safety precautions to our patrons, they were all replaced with the new domed covers,” said Kelly.