Vancouver's Kitsilano Pool is leaking 30,000 litres of water per hour

The renovated Kitsilano Pool in early-May 2018. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The iconic and beloved Kitsilano Pool is in deep trouble.

Municipal staff stunned Vancouver Park Board commissioners in their public meeting on Monday when they provided an update on the condition of Vancouver’s largest outdoor swimming pool.

According to their calculations, Kitsilano Pool, when it is filled, loses 30,000 litres of water per hour, equivalent to 500 litres per minute.

“Nope, that’s not a typo. It’s a hard number to wrap around,” said Matthew Halverson, the associate director of facilities planning for the City of Vancouver, during the meeting.

“This is a devastating report on the Kits Pool. We’re at the end of life of the Kits Pool,” said Green commissioner Tom Digby in reaction to the revealed details.

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The volume of water leaked out per day is equivalent to the emptying of an eight-lane, 25-metre pool that is 1.5 metres deep. This requires the oceanside saltwater pool to be regularly topped up with more potable water.

This leakage is due to the storm damage incurred by the pool during the January 2022 King Tide, which resulted in slab uplifting and cracking, and damage to the recirculation pipes. The exact locations of the leaks and the conditions of the pipes are not known, but they believe there are multiple points of shearing and breakage. Some investigative excavation work will soon be conducted on the tank to provide a better idea of the conditions.

The pool underwent some repairs to enable its reopening in July 2022, far later than usual for that year’s operating season. It also had a shorter-than-usual operating season this past summer.

Moreover, according to City and Park Board staff, the facility is now approaching the end of its lifespan, and it is at a “risk of failure” based on its current status.

Kitsilano Pool (Eric Buermeyer/Shutterstock)

Kitsilano Pool (EB Adventure Photography/Shutterstock)

The renovated Kitsilano Pool in early May 2018. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The current pool structure was built in 1979, replacing the original pool on the same footprint that was completed in 1931. The existing pool was last significantly renovated in 2018 at $3.3 million, which was intended to be enough to extend the facility’s lifespan and reduce the amount of potable water required to fill the pool. Before the 2018 upgrades, about 1.63 million litres of potable water per month was used to fill the pool.

It has a length of 137 metres — nearly three times longer than an Olympic-sized pool. Not only is it Vancouver’s largest outdoor pool, but it is also by far the busiest. In 2023, Kitsilano Pool saw over 120,000 swims — more than double the 59,000 recorded at the Second Beach pool at Stanley Park.

Park Board staff have indicated the next step is to conduct an in-depth feasibility study to evaluate renewal options, but such a study requires funding that currently does not exist. There is also no funding in the capital budget beyond regular maintenance work.

In addition to the pool issues, the Kitsilano Showboat outdoor performance stage was damaged in an overnight fire in April 2023. Its condition is beyond repair and requires demolition.

Kitsilano Showboat fire damage, April 2023. (@ThomasDigby1/X | DirtyDurger/Reddit)

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