By Maggie Foight At the dawn of the new 2016-2017 aquatics season, many athletes believe that the pool is dealing with many issues, but they don’t completely understand what’s truly going on. The old pool was due for renovation, it being 50 years old. When it was reopened in 2014, there was high praise, but the natatorium has been criticized for having chlorine issues and poor ventilation in the past year or so. In light of recent events, it has also been described as being rebuilt poorly. To anyone who regularly uses the facility, these issues seem magnified and problematic, but these issues have simple resolutions that can further improve the pool.
The pool water in the Roy G. Snyder Natatorium was commonly attacked by swimmers, often without full knowledge of the situation. “The chlorine was a big issue. I have asthma, not exercise-induced. I think [my breathing issues in the pool] were from the humidity or quality of the air… I had many asthma attacks during the season,” says current sophomore Megan Dougherty. Though students felt otherwise, chlorine was actually not the issue. According to the administration, the chlorine level had been usually at 1.0 (a healthy level), so the alkalinity - the ability of the water to neutralize acid - may have been the true culprit after all. If the alkalinity is high, equipment and surfaces around the pool will not be damaged, but clogged filters and a decreased pipe flow could lessen the effectiveness of the installed pool pumps. The levels, then, should remain balanced. To avoid upkeep costs, using muriatic acid in addition to the usual pool chemicals is a good idea. While it is moderately easy to use and makes sense economically, the chemical is toxic and needs to be handled carefully. It simply has to be mixed into the pool water: ten parts water to one part of the acid, but no more than a single pint per time. Poor air quality in the pool was also a common complaint: some athletes had to go outside for fresh air and blamed the ventilation. Thomas Houck, the girls’ swim team coach, disagrees with their claims: “The air quality is actually better than the old pool. In the new pool, [issues] can typically get taken care of within 24 hours.” Despite this, every pool’s ventilation can be improved upon. Chloramines create poor air quality since they do not dissolve in the water. “Chloramines come off of athletes’ sweat,” says Erin Kurtz, Wilson’s aquatic director. “The combination of body fluid and the chlorine gases off of the water creates [it].” Precautions are already being made with pool shocks (to reset the pool’s chemicals) and strip drains (to prevent puddling and evaporation that would create high humidity levels). To take prevention one step further, the school could invest in overhead fans to scatter chloramines and keep air quality and humidity at a good level. Recently, the Wilson pool closed because tiles began to fall off, and in order to reattach them, the pool needed to be drained for a week or so. Water polo players had to practice at an outdoors pool while various practices all other aquatic activities were cancelled or put on hold during repairs. While some believed poor construction created these issues, the pool was actually not prepared enough for the winter that it forged through during the 2015-2016 season. Winter weather caused the deck (the area surrounding the pool) at Wilson to contract, and come summer, it expanded again. As a result of these shifts, cracks appeared in the tiling and some even fell off. The administration could try to keep a constant deck temperature year-round to alleviate this problem. Heaters placed underneath the deck could help keep a regular temperature. This wouldn’t allow the tiles to expand or contract, eliminating the threat of possible cracked or loose tiling. Installing a better buffer could help to resolve the issue as well, allowing the tiling to expand and contract without affecting the pool. Though the district’s $6.7 million renovation was very well done, the pool can still be made better. No pool is perfect, but Wilson’s could come close within the next few years if extra enhancements are put in place.
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February 2020
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