McGaugh Pool reopening after repairs

The city of Seal Beach authorized a contract with Commercial Aquatics Services, Inc. on April 12 to make immediate repairs to the McGaugh Pool.

The pool is on the McGaugh Elementary School campus at 1698 Bolsa Avenue.

The repairs were to address areas of water  loss that had been identified in a leak detection report performed on March 27.

The pool was closed on May 17 to the public to begin repairs.

At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 21, the pool was to reopen to the public.  The areas of the pool  identified as non-compliant with current health code were addressed by Commercial Aquatics as follows:

Filters – The three old steel filters that were installed in 1984 and no longer functioning properly were removed and disposed of. The three new filters were filled with 5,000 pounds of #20 silica sand. The new filters feature a new digital automatic backwash controller system.

On May 26, Commercial Aquatics Services began work on the drain covers in the small pool. The small pool required two new drain covers that had to be jack hammered out of the pool deck. .

Leak Repair- The two skimmer drains in the small pool which function as the gutter system for the small pool were jack hammered out to be replaced with new skimmers. The existing skimmer drains had failed and were a source of water loss that was identified in the leak detection test. They were replaced.

Surge Pit- With the pool drained, the surge pit was accessible and the modular flow valve and automatic fill float were replaced to control the amount of water being pumped from the pump room to the pool. This was identified as the most significant source of water loss as the pool was overflowing water into an overflow spillway. The surge pit was also re-piped.

Expansion Joint – The existing expansion joint filler in the expansion joint running the length of the pool was chipped out and disposed of and new Deck-O-Seal product was applied and allowed to cure for 24 hours.
The expansion joint was also identified as a major source of water loss in the  pool, accounting for an estimated 1,500 gallons of water loss daily.

Pipe Repair – The heater was also re-plumbed into the system as the valves were corroded and no longer functioned properly. With work completed in the pump room, all piping and flow of water is clearly labeled and more functional than its former setup.

The Recreation & Parks Commission has scheduled a “Re-Opening McGaugh Pool Celebration” for Monday, Aug. 9 at 4:30 p.m.