Wading pools' future in doubt

By Dan Hilborn
Published Aug. 2, 2006


Splish, splash. When Burnaby's 11 different wading pools opened for the summer season recently, scores of young children jumped for joy at the opportunity to cool off and play in the water at a park close to their homes.

But the majority of those wading pools were built in the early 1960s, and they're reaching the end of their natural lifespan, said Kate Friars, director of the parks, recreation and cultural services department at Burnaby city hall.

One of the key problems with the wading pools is the fact that most of them are simply drained every night, Friars said, sending their used water directly into the storm sewer system.

While the pools are still popular with kids, the city is hoping to replace many of them with new energy-efficient spray pools over the coming years, she said.

And because those new spray pools are costly to build - anywhere from $300,000 to $400,000 apiece, depending on their size and extra features - that means that some of those wading pools may simply disappear, never to be replaced.

"What we're concerned about is, obviously, water conservation and making sure we have water play opportunities in close proximity to our neighbourhoods," Friars told the Burnaby NOW recently. "Some will be decommissioned, and we'll build larger spray pools in the town centre areas. We'll take a town regional approach as opposed to a neighbourhood approach."

While the parks commission typically refurbishes only one or two of the wading pools each year, that schedule of maintenance is getting busier as the pools near the end of their life cycle.

This year, the city refurbished and repaired six of the 11 wading pools, while the remaining five are set for repairs next year. That work consisted of a powerwash, caulking of the concrete tank and deck, painting or replacement of the fence and posts, plus new signs. The average cost of the work at each of the refurbished pools was about $2,600, Friars said.

The city will look at a variety of factors when it decides which wading pools are replaced and which will be shut down completely. Although no decisions have been made yet, new spray pools will likely go into parks that already have separate toilet facilities, adequate drinking fountains and an existing water recirculation system.