Imagine this: you're ready for a refreshing swim, only to find the pool closed due to… well, let's just say an 'unpleasant' contamination. It happened not once, but twice in a single day at Invercargill's Splash Palace. And this isn't an isolated incident; it's part of a troubling trend.
Last week, the learners' pool at Splash Palace was shut down for a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes after the first 'code brown' incident. It reopened briefly for swimming lessons, only to be closed again shortly after due to another contamination. Seriously?
But here's where it gets controversial... Is this just bad luck, or is there something more going on?
Stephen Cook, the council manager for aquatic services, explained that the second closure was prompted by the discovery of a "small amount of additional matter." He added, "It is not clear whether this was from a separate incident or was overlooked due to its small size." In other words, they're not entirely sure if it was a brand-new 'accident' or simply something missed during the initial cleanup.
The good news is that staff acted quickly in both situations, following standard operating procedures. This involves immediately closing the affected pool, thoroughly cleaning the contaminating material, and then super-chlorinating the water to eliminate any lingering bacteria. The length of the closure can vary widely, ranging from a quick 30 minutes to a more extensive 12 hours, depending on the "type of material" involved. That's quite a range!
And this is the part most people miss... The frequency of these incidents is actually increasing.
According to a source who spoke with Local Democracy Reporting, the situation gets even more… interesting. The source claimed that a swimming instructor inadvertently stepped on the second piece of faecal matter and then, unfortunately, smeared it “slightly” across the bottom of the pool. Yikes!
Now, here’s the official counterpoint: Cook stated that there had been no reports of faecal matter being stepped in or transferred to the bottom of the pool. So, who do you believe? It's a bit of a 'he said, she said' situation.
The council's recent data reveals a concerning trend: the number of 'code brown' incidents at Splash Palace has already surpassed the entire 2023 count, and we still had two months left in the year at the time of reporting (October 31st). As of that date, there had been 30 incidents, resulting in a total of 58.5 hours of unplanned pool closures. In comparison, 2023 saw 28 incidents and 59.4 hours of closures for the entire year. The leisure pool seems to be the most frequent location for these unwelcome events.
So, what's the solution? Increased vigilance from swimmers? More frequent pool checks? Stricter enforcement of hygiene rules? Or is this simply an unavoidable part of operating a public pool? What do you think can be done to minimize these incidents and keep our pools clean and open for everyone to enjoy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Could the issue be with young children not being toilet trained or is it older children and adults who are the cause? Has there ever been a time when you had to quickly exit a pool due to similar circumstances?
