A two-month dry season at Waubonsie Valley High School is about to end as workers spend the week fixing mysterious leaks in the school swimming pool.
The pool woes, which surfaced Dec. 23, have disrupted everything from swim meets and practices to physical education classes and community swim nights. The problems have cost the school nearly $40,000 to diagnose and fix.
But aquatics director Tom Musch said the protracted repair process will wrap up by the weekend, and the pool is expected to reopen early next week.
The leaks first were noticed when swim team members came in before Christmas for practice and discovered the pool nearly drained. Workers initially suspected problems with the water heater, and the pool was refilled with 350,000 gallons of water. Within four days, the pool was empty again.
Eventually the culprit was identified as a disintegrating pipe underneath the 25-year-old pool.
“It was rusted so much it was like a sieve leaking water out,” Musch said.
After six weeks, the pool was refilled again, and a slower leak developed, this time caused by seals that were broken because the pool had stayed empty so long. Workers in scuba gear tried to repair the seals underwater with epoxy putty, but that didn’t work. So the pool was drained again last weekend.
Musch said swim teams have had to use other pools in the community and a conference meet had to be moved to another school.
Freshmen who have to take swimming as part of their physical education classes have spent the first part of the semester out of the pool and instead have filled the class periods learning resuscitation skills.
The community swim night will resume March 8.
