Vancouver's Kitsilano pool reopens Saturday

After being closed for part of last summer, the Kitsilano pool in Vancouver will reopen on Saturday. 

"The pool looks beautiful, clean, ready," said park board commissioner Scott Jensen. 

Vancouver's largest outdoor pool was damaged by a king tide in January 2022, and had been leaking 30,000 litres of water an hour. 

The heated, 137-metre-long, salt water pool is located beside Kitsilano Beach on a flood plain on the shore of English Bay.

"It is a very well-used, well-loved asset," said Jensen. "Where it's located it gets a lot of the environment affecting it." 

A statement from the City of Vancouver said staff completed repairs in the pool's plumbing system and performed other required maintenance between May and June of this year.

It said there is no critical repair work scheduled for this season, but ongoing yearly maintenance and repairs will continue. 

The pool is over 50 years old, and is in what the city calls its "end-of-life phase." 

Last summer the pool remained closed until early August as staff needed prolonged dry weather to perform necessary maintenance. 

"Because it's an uncovered pool, we need the best weather to be there for the work to be done, so it has to be sunny and warm," said Jensen. 

City staff are working on a feasibility study, according to a park board memo sent to CBC News, which will guide future decisions about the pool. 

The study includes public engagement that will start next week with an online survey as well as in-person events. 

"We are dedicated to providing a really well-balanced aquatic strategy for Vancouverites," said Jensen.