Vancouver's aging Kitsilano Pool is leaking 30,000 litres of water an hour, city report says

Vancouver Park Board commissioners heard a sobering presentation this week over severe problems the city's largest outdoor pool is facing due to its age and storm-related damage.

While they await the results of a feasibility study over the future Kitsilano pool, commissioners heard Monday night that the facility was leaking 30,000 litres of water an hour due to cracks and breaks in recirculation pipes.

"It is not a typo. It's a hard number to wrap your head around," said Matthew Halverson, a facilities manager with the city.

Halverson, along with Steve Kellock, director of recreational services, detailed how the pool's age — it was established in the 1930s — plus severe weather, such as a king tide event in January 2022, had combined to push the pool's infrastructure to the brink of collapse.

"It takes a lot of abuse just given its location," said Halverson.

A wave hits a concrete wall at Kitsilano Pool in Vancouver in December 2016. (Christer Waara/CBC)

The heated, 137-metre-long, salt-water pool is located on a flood plain on the shore of English Bay. On average, more than 150,000 people visit the facility each year to swim laps, float, play or sunbathe according to non-pandemic year statistics from the city.

It's the busiest of Vancouver's five outdoor seasonal pools, and equivalent to 10 six-lane, 25-metre pools, Halversen said.

The new details about the decline of Kitsilano Pool highlight the problems the City of Vancouver is facing as portions of its aging infrastructure, such as pools and community centres, need significant renewal or replacement, while the city struggles with affordability and revenue generation.

"This is a devastating report on the Kits pool. We're at the end of life on the Kits pool," said commissioner Tom Digby in response to the presentation.

In recent years the pool has required significant repairs to open after the colder months. This year, the opening of the pool was pushed back to June 4 to allow crews to fill cracks and conduct mechanical testing.

In 2022, the pool's opening did not happen until July after the pool was significantly damaged by a king tide and storm surge during a severe winter storm.

Upgrades 'foiled by weather and environment'

In 2018, the city spent $3.3 million on the pool to run more efficiently by using less water and energy.

The upgrades reduced the use of potable water in the pool by 80 per cent by using electric pumps to cycle seawater through it.

Kellock said the upgrades were meant to extend the life of the pool, but recent damage has changed that outlook.

"The best plans were foiled by weather and environment," he said.

Now staff will work on a feasibility study to give decision-makers some options over the future of the pool, which could include a possible renewal.

The city's current capital budget does not include money for the pool beyond maintenance, meaning any new funding to renew or replace the pool would have to come in the 2027-2030 capital plan.

"We will look to connect with our very actively engaged user groups for input and feedback throughout this process," said Kellock.

In the meantime, workers will continue to do their best to investigate the source of the multiple water leaks and try to mitigate damage, he said.