The pool at the Sechelt Aquatic Centre re-opened at 9 a.m. on March 30 after both it and the hot tub area were closed the previous day due to a failure in the facility's sprinkler system. A witness to the incident told Coast Reporter an estimated 40 participants in a 10 a.m. aqua-fit class on March 29 were evacuated from that area after a material “exploded over [the] hot tub, spraying in all directions."
Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) communications staff confirmed via email and a press release that a sprinkler head broke at the facility, causing build-up in the sprinkler system to flow out over the hot tub area. The release said that no one was using the hot tub at the time the incident occurred.
The witness reported via email hearing at least three "very loud explosions" coming from the ceiling area. "The ceiling burst open with pressurized sprays of oily black liquid, both gushing and spraying in all directions in a dense fine mist and running down ceiling and walls." She stated she detected a "mechanical" odour and that one class participant came in contact with the expelled liquid as he retrieved footwear from the pool deck, which she said he indicated felt "slippery and gritty".
Describing the scene that followed the explosion, she wrote, "The change room was wall to wall women quickly pulling on clothes and getting the heck out of there. A lifeguard came in and made announcements nobody could hear over the excited chatter."
As of 11 a.m. Wednesday morning, a handwritten sign was posted at the entrance to the facility stating that the pool was closed but that its weight room area remained open.
In the release, SCRD staff stated that the hot tub is anticipated to be out of use for “the coming days”. It recommends that residents interested in using that facility stay tuned to the SCRD on Facebook and to www.scrd.ca for updates.
“The SCRD is very appreciative of the understanding of patrons who had to leave the pool area when the issue occurred,” the release stated.
System replacement planned
A dry nitrogen technology upgrade to the sprinkler system, estimated to cost over $813,000 was to get started later this year and be completed in 2024. In approving that project in Nov. 2022, the SCRD board opted for the more costly nitrogen approach over a replacement of the original water-based system. A contractor had advised there was a risk that continued use of the existing technology could see system leaks that began in 2020 return. Those were determined to have been caused by microbiological corrosion, with the source of that problem undetermined.
A news release was issued about corrosion in the sprinkler system was issued in late 2021. Sechelt Aquatic Centre opened in mid-2007.
