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PLEASANT GROVE — One week after a chlorine spill at a Pleasant Grove pool sickened nearly 50 people, the city announced the pool will likely reopen Thursday with a new control box installed that officials said will prevent a similar incident from happening in the future.
On June 4, a pump malfunctioned and shut down at Veterans Memorial Pool, 582 East 300 South, Pleasant Grove police said. When it was turned back on, police said it pumped large amounts of chlorine into one area of the pool and exposed several people to chlorine gas.
Infected individuals displayed symptoms of bloody noses, coughing and vomiting. Some patients could have chronic respiratory issues as a result of the inhalation, one doctor who treated people involved said.
Pleasant Grove City announced via Facebook Tuesday the measures its taken in response to the incident and provided details about what caused the chlorine to enter the pool.
“During the time the water pump was off, a control panel that distributes chlorine into the pipe kept operating,” the post explained. “This caused the chlorine to back up. When the pump was restarted, the water pushed the excess chlorine into the swimming pool area.”
In the post, the city stated it is in the process of installing a new control box that will distribute the chlorine. The new control box has built-in safeguards to prevent the incident from happening again, according to the post.
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“With the new control panel, if the pump were to lose power, it would stop the chlorine from continuing to be pumped into the pipe,” the post clarified. “This would prevent large amounts of chlorine backing up and being introduced into the system once the water pump starts up again.”
The city has also “worked closely” with the Utah County Health Department to make sure pool equipment is in compliance with the state and county regulations, the post states.
The department will inspect the pool after the new equipment is installed and determine if the pool is safe to re-open.
The pool will likely open Thursday, the post states, but it advised people to check the city’s social media pages or website for confirmation.
