Round Lake pool weekend opening delayed due to broken pipe

Round Lake Area Park District’s aquatic center won’t open as scheduled this weekend due to a broken pipe under the main pool, officials said.

Park District Executive Director Bob Newport said the repairs are expected to cost about $50,000. He said there will be enough money in the district’s building repair fund to cover the tab.

“I could say it could have been a lot worse,” Newport said Thursday.

As is typical for suburban park districts, the 21-year-old aquatic center on Hart Road in Round Lake was scheduled to open Saturday on the start of the long Memorial Day weekend. Instead, the pipe problem has delayed the anticipated opening to Saturday, June 15.

Two pools of differing sizes with gradual entries are part of the complex. Newport said the problem was discovered after recently filling the larger, 6,800-square-foot main pool that has a diving board and reaches a depth of more than 12 feet.

Newport said the pool’s water level dropped overnight after it was filled, prompting an investigation over a 65-yard stretch to locate the problem with a camera that was run through the piping. He said a 25-foot-long crack was discovered spiraling around a 1.5-inch inlet pipe that sends water into the pool on its shallow end.

Crews have had to tear apart a section of the pool because the pipes are 12 to 18 inches underneath, Newport said. At least two weeks will be needed to allow cement to cure after the work is done, which is why the target opening date is mid-June, he added.

Water essentially circulates in the pipes and goes through a filtration system for the pool, Newport said. While the smaller, gated swimming pool with a slide and spray features was not affected by the leak, it can’t be used because of the repair crews at the facility, he said.

Meanwhile, the park district’s Ducks swim team has found a temporary home until the Round Lake aquatic center opens. Newport said the city of McHenry will rent Knox Park Pool to the Ducks, who compete in the Northern Illinois Swim Conference.

A decision on partial refunds to pass holders will be made when opening date of the aquatic complex becomes firm.