On Monday, July 10, 2023, Facilities staff were informed by Aquaplex staff of evidence of a leak in the indoor pool mechanical room of the Aquaplex. To ensure the safety of patrons and employees, Facilities staff shut off the recirculation pump and coordinated with Aquaplex staff to close the indoor pool. 

Upon examination, it became clear that sediment had filled the bottom ofthe pump well, blocking the sump pumps. Town staff removed the hairnet strainer and recirculation pump from the dry well. During this process, it was found that the hairnet and the pump were both binding. Once those components were removed, a visual inspection was carried out and a void was found under the mechanical room floor. 

Following the examinations of both Town staff and a structural engineer, four key points were identified. They are as follows:

• Phase 1 of this work is being planned by Knibb Construction and will be undertaken as soon as possible to undertstand the extent of the void space and pipe loss under the floor in the mechanical room. This involves cutting and removing concrete flooring to locate the pipe ends. This could take up to two weeks.
• Phase 2 of the work will involve formulating a plan to replace piping and fill the void under the slab, as well as other work that is required to ensure safe operations of the pool. Phase 2 is likely to take three weeks (without any unforeseen circumstances).
• The indoor pool was already scheduled to be shut down for work throughout September. It appears that this work can all be done at the same time. After the completion of Phase 1 work, Administration will have a better idea of the extent of damage. 
• The outdoor pool will remain open to the public until the weather conditions dictate closure. The outdoor pool can be operated up to an overnight low temperature of 5 degrees Celsius. Keeping this in mind, and with normal September temperatures, this has potential to push operations into the last week of September. 

We encourage Aquaplex users to keep an eye on Aquaplex social media accounts, as well as drumheller.ca, for ongoing updates regarding these repairs. 

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