Changing Colour

The change in colour is a step in the right direction!

This might get a little technical, but it's a delicate science to balancing the water. The initial green tinge is caused by the copper piping in the Gallagher Centre. Although the water in the water park is drained out during shutdown, water still remains in the main copper piping that moves water to the pool from where the water enters the building. While copper can be used to help prevent algae growth in home pools, too much copper can lead to issues with water colouring and chemistry. The longer the water sits in the pipe, the more copper gets absorbed, the greener the water on the other end.

At the start of filling the water park, copper levels were sitting at 4 parts per million (ppm). After filtering, backwashing, and initial balancing copper levels are now at 0.4 ppm, and the water is beginning to become more blue in colour, signaling that the process is working.

In addition to working out the copper, water hardness, total alkalinity, pH, and chlorine levels are also balanced to provincial regulations.

• Water hardness initially tested at 700 ppm. After running through the softener systems hardness now sits at 200 ppm.
• Regulations require total alkalinity (TA) to be between 80 and 120 ppm. At the start of balancing TA measured 350 ppm, and currently sits at 240 ppm. Hydrochloric acid is used to drop the TA, and so far 16 five-gallon pails have been used. This process requires acid be introduced slowly, and it does impact the pH of the water, which is the next step in the balancing process.
• Provincial regulations require pH levels to be between 7.2 and 7.8. At the start of balancing the pH was measured at 7.8, but dropped below 6 as the acid was added to the water. A low pH (acidic) can cause eye and skin irritation, swimmer discomfort, and damages equipment such as pumps and filters. A higher pH (basic) causes cloudy water, scale build up, and is less effective in managing chlorine levels. A pH of 7.2 is the optimum level for chlorine effectiveness.
• Chlorine levels are required to be above 3 ppm in order to meet provincial regulations. The colour shift from green to blue indicates that the chlorine levels are rising, and are currently sitting at 4 ppm.

Once the proper levels for total alkalinity, pH, and chlorine have been achieved Public Health will conduct their own inspection and testing, ensuring the water is safe for swimmers. Public Health is scheduled for their inspection tomorrow (October 16) and we are hopeful for a positive outcome. We continue to test and balance daily, and appreciate everyone's patience while we let the science work.

BEFOREAFTER