The Vernon Aquatic Centre was abruptly closed on Monday afternoon, but the city says the closure was short-lived and caused by a minor malfunction.
At 1:30 p.m. a water line in the centre’s chlorination room broke. As a result, chlorine detectors activated an alarm. The line was quickly repaired and the pool reopened within an hour of the first alarm.
The chlorine detector is highly sensitive, and although no chlorine gas was released it was able to pick up chlorine odor from the water on the floor of the room, the City of Vernon said Tuesday morning.
Staff at the centre evacuated pool guests to the auditorium until the source of the alarm could be determined, the city said.
“Although this was a false alarm, it served to demonstrate the effectiveness of the safety system and the training of our team to carry out our safety procedures,” said aquatic manager Gary Lefebvre.
“At no time were staff or the public at risk,” said the city’s communications manager Christy Poirier.
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