The Student Recreation Center reopened the pool and spa Saturday after over a monthlong closure.

Jeff Elbracht, WSU Director of Facilities for University Recreation, said contractors arrived the Monday of spring break and completed repairs the next day. 

University Recreation closed the pool in February because of two separate issues: a leak in the surge tank and an air bubble that had formed between the vinyl surface of the pool and the concrete base, Elbracht said.

The leak in the surge tank was repaired prior to spring break, he said.  

The contractors discovered a small cut in the liner in the pool, Elbracht said. The cut was a quick fix and contractors were able to vacuum most of the excess water that was beneath the liner. However, some water remains.

“So we just have to kind of keep an eye on that and make sure it doesn’t get worse,” Elbracht said. “We don’t anticipate that to be the case. It looks like the patch over the little hole will prevent any more water from getting in there.”

The process of refilling the pool, heating it to the proper temperature and mixing in the chemicals takes about 48 hours, Elbracht said. 

The SRC announced the reopening via social media, signage in the building and a pop-up on the University Recreation website, he said. 

Elbracht said the last time the pool closed for an extended time was in December 2019 when the new liner was installed on the pool’s floor.

“It’s unfortunate that it took as long as it did. Some of it was identifying the problem and some of it was staffing issues and parts availability to Pullman that delayed this,” he said.

The pool has seen a return to its usual usage. During its closure, the Smith and Gibb pools were available for swimmers, but patrons appreciated the return of the SRC pool, Elbracht said.

Elbracht said he does not expect the pool to be closed again anytime soon.

“We believe it’s fully resolved and hopefully should not have to go through this again, at least in the near future,” he said.