Public Swim

Common Reasons for Public Swim Closure

Updated 11/23/2021

In the event of a contamination involving solid fecal matter and/or vomit, the pool must be cleared of patrons immediately and remain closed for 30 minutes. Aquatic staff will carefully follow all state safety guidelines, including treatment of the affected area, prior to letting patrons back into the pool. During this time patrons are encouraged to utilize the large deck/grass space areas or purchase food from the concession stand.
In the event of a contamination involving diarrhea, the pool must be cleared of patrons immediately and a 24-hour closure is required.

Spokane County does not cancel public swim for rain alone. However, site managers may use their discretion to temporarily close/suspend public swim when rain reduces visibility into the water and impacts lifeguards’ ability to safely view beneath the surface of the pool.
Pool closure is required for 30 minutes if lightning is observed or thunder heard from the facility. The 30-minute closure period restarts at each new sighting of lightning or sound of thunder.

Cancellation of public swim will occur when the AQI reaches 151 (Unhealthy) or higher as measured by the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. Currently the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency reports AQI levels every hour at the :35-minute mark.
1. If the AQI at 10:35am (at the latest*) is 151+, the 11:00am public session will be cancelled.
2. If the AQI at 1:35pm (at the latest*) is 151+, the 2:30pm public session will be cancelled.
3. *If AQI is 151+ earlier in the day with very little chance of dropping, the determination to cancel may take place earlier.
4. If the AQI reaches 151 or above during public swim, the session will be discontinued.
Note on AQI: If AQI levels are hovering around 150 with the possibility of improvement, staff usually wait for the last applicable AQI reading before cancelling a public swim session. For this reason, we encourage reservation holders to keep an eye on the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency website to make adjustments as necessary.

For closure that takes place before a session begins, reservation holders will be notified by phone and/or email. Staff will do their best to reach reservation holders before they arrive at the facility, but due to the timing of some closure events this is not always possible.
For closure that takes place during a session, facility staff will make announcements to visitors on site and post signage outside the facility notifying the public of the closure.

For closure before a session begins:

If closure takes place before the public swim session begins, reservation holders will receive a full refund. This refund will appear back on the card used to purchase tickets. (Please allow 7-10 business days for refunds to post back to the account.)

For closure during a session:

For any pool closure that lasts less than 45 minutes (ex: 30-minute closure for thunder, MOST contaminations, etc.), we invite visitors to remain at the site and return to the pool when staff announce it is safe to do so. When pool closure results in program loss of 45 minutes or less, no Promo Passes or refunds will be issued.
When a pool closure results in a loss of more than 45 minutes of public swim, all those in attendance will receive a Promo Pass good for one free walk-up entry at a later date in the same summer season. Reservation holders who have not yet checked-in will receive a full refund if a session is cancelled with more than 45 minutes of public swim time remaining. (Please allow 7-10 business days for refunds to post back to the account.)