After more than a month, the City of Castlegar has reopened the natural swimming ponds at Millennium Park.
They were closed on May 25 when chlorine was detected in the water. Chlorine is used for disinfectants and bleaches, including in swimming pools, but the city does not use it on the park ponds.
“We are very happy to be able to open the ponds in time for the long weekend,” municipal services director Chris Hallam said in a news release. “We hope residents will enjoy the ponds and everything Millennium Park has to offer.”
However, due to the natural state of the ponds, the city says you may notice algae, which is a naturally occurring water plant. While it may not look pretty, the city says it’s not harmful to people, and it doesn’t indicate poor water quality.
The city follows the Canadian Recreational Water Guidelines and regularly tests the natural ponds’ water quality and submits the results to Interior Health for review.