Westport Pool is closed for unexpected maintenance due to cloudy water. The pool is expected to remain closed for at least a week.
Springfield-Greene County Park Board lifeguards noticed a problem with water clarity early Thursday afternoon. Staff first closed the deep end, then later the whole pool, due to safety concerns. Lifeguards must be able to clearly see swimmers in the water.
Assistant Parks Director Miles Park said the pool chemistry tested within normal/safe ranges, but parks maintenance staff has not been able to identify the source of the cloudiness, which has proven stubborn to treat.
“In such a case, we use a water clarifier, which causes foreign articles to clump together and sink to the bottom. Then you vacuum it up. But the water clarifier was not affective here,” said Park.
Parks maintenance staff tried flushing the pool with fresh water, then partially drained and refilled the pool. But the problem has persisted.
“The only option left to us is to drain the pool and replace with fresh water,” said Park.
Staff is now draining the entire pool. Once drained, the interior shell and filter systems will be cleaned and rinsed, and the pool will be refilled. The process, if successful, is expected to take about a week. Updates will be posted on Westport Park and Pool’s Facebook page.
Westport Pool is currently scheduled to close for the season Sunday, Aug. 12, along with Meador, Silver Springs and McGee-McGregor Wading pools. Fassnight and Grant Beach pools close for the regular season Tuesday, Aug. 14, but both these pools reopen Saturdays and Sundays, through Labor Day.
Westport Pool was built in 1977 and was completely renovated and expanded in 2012, funded through the 2006 Countywide Parks Sales Tax, a tax which has since expired
Detailed information about each pool, swimming lessons, pool rules, swim team and more is available in the 2018 Summer Aquatics program guide, found at ParkBoard.org/Aquatics. For more information, call the Aquatics Hotline at 417-864-2099.