The July 8 reopening of Mill Creek Pool came just in time to offer people relief from extreme heatwaves, setting up a swift return to popularity for one of Edmonton's original and most missed outdoor pools.
"People were just thrilled that it was open and that they were back in their pool and thoroughly enjoying it," Shauna Graham, site coordination and operations supervisor for Edmonton's outdoor pools, told Taproot about the reopening. "I'm happy it's open, and it was perfect timing. If we had gotten that heat one week earlier people would have been banging on the door to be let in."
The City of Edmonton closed the Mill Creek Pool in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, following upon a 2018 decision to allocate money to refresh it. The closure allowed the city to update the pool's electrical and mechanical systems, and to renovate the pool itself.
The pool has been a fixture of Mill Creek Ravine for at least 70 years. It opened in 1953 and at the time cost $150,000. A swimming spot at the location dates back further, though, to 1917, when people dammed Mill Creek itself to make a spot to swim at. That pre-dates Edmonton's first public swimming pool, which opened in 1922 as South Side Pool but was renamed Queen Elizabeth Pool in 1939.
Graham said that Mill Creek Pool was long the favourite of residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods (Bonnie Doon, King Edward Park, Ritchie, and Mill Creek), and only started to lag behind when the city started renovating its other pools.
In 2009, the City of Edmonton updated Fred Broadstock Outdoor Pool, in Britannia Youngstown, redoing the dive tank, splash pool, and its entire basin. In 2011, the city moved Queen Elizabeth Pool from Queen Elizabeth Park Road (the current location of Indigenous Art Park ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞) to Kinsmen Park, where it's now located along with Kinsmen Spray Park. In 2018, the city opened Borden Natural Swimming Pool, also a site with a long history of a pool.
Graham said now that Mill Creek Pool has been renovated, it can return to popularity.
"It was the busiest for years and I think it was the place to go, right? Summer came and you wanted to go cool off or swim, it was a place to go and hang out. We're trying to ensure that we continue with that," Graham said.
Swimmers enjoy Mill Creek Pool in this photograph from July 8. The City of Edmonton closed the pool in 2020 for upgrades. The pool dates back to 1953, though swimmers dammed Mill Creek in 1917 to form a proto-pool as well. (Supplied)
The pool's renovation means it now has increased accessibility with a zero-depth entry, accessible changing areas and washrooms, a new slide, updated wooden and concrete deck areas, new paint, and new signage. In addition to the public-facing renovations the city also worked on the buildings and installed anti-entrapment drains to prevent hair or clothing from getting stuck, bringing them up to date with new Alberta Health standards. The renovations came in at roughly $6.8 million, just under the $7 million budget city council approved for the project.
The idea for the zero-depth entry came about as the city had discussions about the 70-year-old concrete that makes up the pool's basin. "So we didn't touch the old basin," Graham said. "We built a pool within a pool, and a zero-depth entry would make it accessible, would make it fun, and would provide more people the opportunity to have access."
The only outdoor pool that has not had major renovations is now Wîhkwêntôwin Outdoor Pool, built in 1987. Graham said there are no plans for work on that pool in the immediate future.
July 17 was the fourth day of record heat in Edmonton since July 8, with a high of 34 C breaking the previous record of 33.9 C from 1920. The city might see heat records broken every day from July 18 to 23, potentially the longest stretch of consecutive days over 30 C Edmonton has ever seen.