Thunderstorms

Safety guidelines for outdoor pools dictate that upon hearing thunder, or seeing lightning, the pool is to be vacated immediately. Swimmers may return to the water once 20 minutes have passed since the last sounds of thunder or sights of lightning.

Visibility

In keeping with the requirements of the Ministry of Health, if at any time the visibility of the pool is poor (i.e. the black disc at the bottom of the deep end is not clearly visible), the pool will close until the visibility improves.

Rain Prior To Opening

If it is raining at the time of the pool’s opening in the morning, the staff members will prepare the pool to open once the weather clears.

Rain during Pool Hours

The pool may remain open if it is light rain and there are swimmers already in the pool—and provided visibility is not impaired. However, should a period of one hour pass without swimmers, the pool will close until the weather improves.

Recreational Swims

The pool will open for recreational swimming on days when the official temperature is 15 degrees C (59 degrees F) or higher and the wind chill temperature is the equivalent of 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) or higher. However, on those cool days when the pool has opened, should a period of an hour pass without swimmers in the pool, or the outside temperature at the facility drops below 10 degrees C, then the facility may close until the weather improves. The Pool Manager, Pool Director, or Chairperson should be consulted in this decision.

Swimming Lessons

The possibility of instructor/guards standing in the water for any length of time during cold weather raises concerns of exposure/hypothermia. For the guards’ protection we need to adopt safe and healthful guidelines for their performance in the water. To this end, the guards will not be required to instruct in the water when the air temperature (including wind chill) drops below 18 degrees C (65 degrees F) and the sky is overcast. This applies primarily to those lessons for which an instructor would normally be expected to be in the water. For older children, in-water lessons during inclement weather (i.e. rain, cold, etc.) are up to the discretion of the Pool Manager. Rather than canceling lessons for inclement weather, when possible, the instructors will offer alternative water safety activities under the portico at the pool.