The Homestead Aquatics Center will reopen April 17 after a leak in the pipes forced the pool to shut down on Jan. 17.
Jim Orr, director of Parks and Recreation for the town of Chapel Hill, said a leak below the pool deck was finally detected in early March. To find the leak, they used indicator dyes and small cameras in the piping, since the water never surfaced anywhere on the property, Orr said.
To fix the leak, a portion of the pool deck was cut away, leaving a large exposed hole. A walled partition was constructed to keep people from looking at or climbing in it, Orr said. The wall has been approved by the Orange County Health Department, and if a series of tasks are completed before health inspectors return on April 12, the pool will reopen as planned.
Contractors to fill the hole in the pool deck are scheduled to return in eight weeks, Orr said. In the meantime, he said the parks department is grateful for community support during a long and frustrating process.
“The vast majority (have) been very cooperative,” Orr said. “There (has) been some complaining that it has taken too long, and we understand their frustrations, we just ask for their continued patience as we continue to try and fix this situation and put it behind us.”
