The lap pool at the Sechelt Aquatic Centre will soon have some ultra-cool technology to keep the pool ultra-clean without the current salty taste.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) announced Tuesday, July 14 that it would be installing an ultraviolet (UV) light disinfecting system this fall.
The new system, which is currently used in the leisure pool and hot tub, works by killing bacteria and viruses that live in the water and is extremely effective when combined with small amounts of chlorine, according the SCRD.
Bruce Bauman, area recreation manager for the SCRD, said there was several reasons for switching to UV from the salt system currently used for the lap pool, but its affordability and maintenance hassles with the salt system were key.
"The commercial salt system parts are becoming increasingly difficult to get a hold of and as a matter of fact, in some cases, are impossible to find," he said.
Bauman said the SCRD is still finalizing the cost of installing the UV system, but the operating costs would be substantially lower. The SCRD has also applied for grant funding from the federal government that would cover one third of the total cost. The grant application is in the approval process now.
Public pools in B.C. must maintain a level of chlorine as disinfectant in the water, but the UV system will give the pool a fresh water feel to it, Bauman said.
"The UV system will allow us to keep the chlorine levels at an absolute minimum. It's the same system that's presently used in many drinking water systems," he said.
The system is set to be installed during the annual two-week maintenance shut down of the pool from Aug. 22 to Sept. 7 and when it reopens, the pool will lose its distinctive salty taste.
"Really the only experience that [people] are going to find different is that the pool is not going to taste like the Georgia Strait," Bauman said.
- Brent Richter
