Pool Facts

Seattle has 1.7 pools/100,000 residents while the average US city boasts 3.0/100,000 (Trust for Public Lands, 2006).  Our city has built only one pool in 30 years.  The filtration systems of many existing public pools can’t keep up with the heavy use they see today, so they have to close one day a week to deal with chlorine byproducts.

We still have only 2 outdoor public pools, neither one centrally located.  Magnolia’s Mounger pool has proven the cost-effectiveness of outdoor, public pools– it has an 87% cost-recovery rate for yearly operations and spends summers packed to the gills.  No wonder private outdoor pools have 8-10 year waiting lists—View Ridge Pool, for example, has 907 families on its wait list and took about 10 this year off the list. 

Our city’s pool needs span the spectrum, from warm-water pools for seniors and teaching to water slides that will attract teens to healthy activities.  Only two public, outdoor pools exist in Seattle today and they’re both located on the Western edge of the city.  No public pool in Seattle has a graduated-entry ramp for wheelchairs.  Existing pool facilities are beyond capacity (kids are being turned away from swim lessons) and were built for hosting only one type of activity at a time.  More pool facts are available here.

Documents

• Fact Sheet Supporting the Case for Pools
• National Data for Cities:  # Swimming Pools per 100,000 Residents.  Seattle is well below the 3.0 average for all cities, with 1.7 pools/100,00 people. (Trust for Public Lands)
• Feasibility Study Proposed to City Council, Oct 2007
• Christine’s Testimony to the City Council, Oct 10 2007
• Seattle Neighborhood Plans that include pools.  Excerpts.
• Directions to City Council Hearings, plus Parking

Existing Pools

• Spreadsheet of Specs for Seattle Public Pools. Construction dates, sizes, etc.
• Trends in Pool Modernization and Seattle Status.  From a 2002 draft document prepared by Seattle Parks and Recreation.  Draft has not yet been updated or verified.
• Seattle Pool History.  From a 2002 draft document prepared by Seattle Parks and Recreation.  Draft has not yet been updated or verified.
• Seattle Public Pool Web Pages
• Swimmer’s Guide.  Comprehensive, world-wide database of pools available to the public.
• Chlorine-free and low-chlorine pools.  Word-wide listing of pools, plus info on chlorine alternatives.
• Eastside Pools.  List compiled by Project Splash (see next section).
• Map of existing public pools.  Modified from a Parks Department map.  Note the distribution of outdoor pools, both far west.

Other Groups Campaigning for Pools

• Northshore Aquatics:  This link leads to Bill’s terrific yahoo group covering the Northshore pool movement.  The Kenmore-Bothell-Woodinville area already has a pool planning study underway.  Lots of good pool news is shared on Bill’s mailing list.
• Project Splash. This group has made great strides campaigning for an aquatics complex on the Eastside.