Seltzer swimming pool's wintertime leak appears stabilized
By David Jacobs
Shelby's Seltzer Park municipal swimming pool, previously troubled by unexplained water loss, appears to have stopped leaking, a parks system official confirms.
The positive update on the Shelby landmark came from Jerry Marshall, the parks superintendent, during the Shelby Board of Park Commissioners meeting on Jan. 13.
Marshall noted in his remarks that the pool water levels, maintained during winter to protect the structure's foundation, have now stabilized. This was determined after adding additional water to bring it up to desired winter levels.
The leak's apparent end comes as a relief as personnel had been looking for the cause of the water disappearance, considering both a worst-case scenario involving the pool's structural integrity and mechanical operation.
"It seems like it's holding there now so I'm not sure what's really going on, but in the last meeting, I was talking about it losing water," Marshall said this week. "It seemed like it's stabilized. It's not losing any water as we speak. So that's all good news."
This follows a period of concern in December when Marshall reported a significant drop in water levels after the seasonal shutdown of the facility, which could have indicated potential structural or equipment failures.
The pool had unexpectedly lost between 155,000 to 160,000 gallons of water, falling below the intended winter water level.
The situation in December marked a puzzling departure from routine seasonal maintenance, which typically involves draining approximately 140,000 gallons to reach the desired winter level.
Marshall explained at the time, "We found it was kind of draining itself, and now it’s down by an additional 155,000 to 160,000 gallons of water. It's down below where it should be, and we haven't touched it."