В Китченере открылись первые в регионе бассейны из нержавеющей стали

Region's first stainless steel pools come to Kitchener, set to open near the end of the year The pools are the first stainless steel pools in Waterloo region The City of Kitchener is bringing more pool space to the region. But unlike all the other pools in this area, the two new ones at the Cowan Recreation Centre in RBJ Schlegel Park are made of stainless steel. The eight lane, 25 metre pool and a program pool, will be available to the public near the end of the year when the recreation centre is set to open. The stainless steel pools "are fairly new to the area, becoming more common because of the economic and the environmental benefits overall," said Alex Geisel, the aquatics supervisor at City of Kitchener He says choosing stainless steel over a traditional pool reduces the use of water, energy and chemical use over time. “It also has a lower carbon footprint over time as well from the construction, and it’s also made from recycled material, so it's great for the environment long-term and lower water consumption as a whole.” Geisel says the lower water consumption is from not having to drain the pool as often for maintenance and repairs. “Once the pool is filled, we are good to go. There's no real requirement or necessity to do an annual drain and maintenance repair on the facility itself. So with your traditional pools, you would be draining every year or two years, regrouting the tiles, doing upkeep and maintenance in that sense.” He says there’s no need to drain the water when completing a repair on a stainless steel pool. If a section needs repairing, the repair can be done underwater, such as underwater welding. Determining if a stainless steel pool is more environmentally friendly than a traditional pool requires a comparison of applications instead of materials, says John Straube, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Waterloo. "It's not just the pool. What about all the filter and the pumps? What about the chlorine, or are they using ozone? If we're worried about the environment, we've got to look at the whole system," Straube said. He says concrete pools are durable, but more work is needed to stop them from cracking or leaking. They also do a double duty of keeping the structure of the pool and holding the dirt back. As a material, Straube says stainless steel has some real advantages as it's "really durable." Yet, he says the material itself won't make the pool more environmentally friendly. "It's almost never fair to compare material to material. It's application to application," he said. 'Huge' need for pool space There’s a huge need for more pool space in the city, says Geisel. He says the city’s eight open pool facilities in the summer are operating 110 to 120 per cent beyond capacity in swimming lessons. Nandi Kormendi, head coach of Club Warriors Swim Club in Kitchener-Waterloo, says the club is currently maxed out. "Unless we get extra pool space as a club, we can't grow. And we do have a demand to grow." Kormendi says the club typically has a waiting list of about 100 people every year. The club's home base is the University of Waterloo and they're planning on getting into the Cowan Recreation Centre pool by 2027. The facility is supposed to open near the end of 2026, but Kormendi says he's heard it won't be ready by September, which is when the club's programming starts. The two new pools will open about 48,000 additional swimming lessons spots in the first year, along with 150,000 anticipated users. Geisel says people using the pool won’t notice much of a difference in the material. “It doesn’t really feel any different from a tiled pool. It is textured on the bottom, so there’s no impact to programs or patrons. But you will initially just feel that coolness when you step on it.” Although the pool is a bit darker than traditional pools, Geisel says there’s no impact to swimmers or lifeguard surveillance.