For Minnesota, the summer started as early as May with temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which has only happened once before in the metro area in May. This summer saw record-breaking heat waves worldwide and the Twin Cities were not exempt from that. Residents were frustrated because the pool was often closed on the hottest days of the season and the park’s managers seemed to offer little consolation that they were working to fix the problem. My family frequented the pool often this summer as it was the perfect way to cool off during the hot summer days and provides an outlet for people of all ages and all swimming capabilities.Īnd yet, this summer saw an influx in closures due to high levels of bacteria and failed water quality tests, more than in previous seasons. It’s family-friendly, free, and a summer must for nearby residents. Rarely is the pool quiet when it’s open, and sometimes they have to close the pool to new traffic lest they exceed the maximum capacity of 500 people. It’s well monitored by several lifeguard stations and the water quality is routinely tested.Īs someone who lives right down the street from the pool, I can attest to what a popular attraction it is. Now, thanks to the decision to build the pool, Residents of the surrounding neighborhoods have free access to lap lanes, a shallow pool, and an open swim area. Robin Smothers, the social media and media relations manager for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board explained to me that the northside (North Minneapolis) has some of the city’s highest concentrations of poverty and many areas are largely underserved. Jon Olson, the former District 2 Commissioner, wanted to bring something special to North Minneapolis after the previous pool in Webber Park had been removed ten years before construction on the NSP began. However, once completed, the pool has been a much loved and much needed addition to its Webber Park location in North Minneapolis.Īs far as the decision to build an NSP in its chosen location in Minneapolis in the first place, it really came down to filling a need for the community. The Webber Park Pool was a massive undertaking, costing upwards of seven million dollars and taking ten years to build. In Europe, you will find over 20,000 public and private NSPs.Īerial Photo of Webber Natural Swimming Pool. One is a private pool, but this summer, the second public NSP opened in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Especially given that the regeneration basin provides habitat to local wildlife.Ĭurrently, there are two other NSPs in North America. Natural swimming pools, and eco-friendly ways to improve traditional swimming pools, such as solar heating or hydropower to heat and power pool facilities could be important alternatives in the future. Natural swimming pools (NSP) are environmentally friendly and the regeneration basin offers habitats for frogs and turtles.Īs climate change will continue to put pressure on water resources, finding sustainable solutions to something as seemingly innocuous as the local pool could help reduce carbon emissions and cut down on energy use. On top of that, the pool is vacuumed daily. According to Webber Park’s website, around 7,000 aquatic plants are rooted in layers of limestone and granite gravel in the regeneration basin.Īs the water is pumped out of the swimming pools, it’s filtered through the plants and gravel before being pumped back into the swimming areas.Īll 500,000 gallons of water in Webber Pool is recycled through the regeneration basin every twelve hours. ![]() ![]() Much like a river or lake, the pool water is filtered through an outlining pond (a regeneration basin) filled with vegetation. Although Webber Park Pool has been open since July 2015, this summer was marked by an unprecedented amount of closures.Ī natural pool is one that doesn’t use chemicals like chlorine to keep the water clean and instead uses a natural filtration system. The first ever public natural swimming pool built in North America is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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