Borden Pool, Canada’s first natural swimming pool, opened for its second season Friday morning after a successful inaugural year.
The facility saw low attendance during the opening hours of the season, but those who did make it out said the idea of the pool is still novel. Tom Blazejewicz, one of first swimmers of the year, said the lack of chemicals is a big selling point.
“I just can’t stand all the chlorine in my hair and on my skin and my eyes,” he said. “You really get a good sense here that you’re actually at a living pool.”
Along with the natural filtration comes a cooler water temperature, but Blazejewicz thinks that a swimmer will get used to it quickly.
“It’s just lake water temperature. Once you dive into it you’re going to be bone-chilling cold then you kind of sit into it, let it sink in and it becomes just as warm as any other water. It’s great,” he said.
Cyndi Schlosser, the facility manager for the pool, noted that the lower attendance today was to be expected.
“With the weather being as cold as it has been this week not as many people are thinking of going to an outdoor swimming pool right now and of course being so close to the long weekend a lot of people do like to travel away,” she told CTV News Edmonton.
The capacity will continue to be 400 people in the pool at once and 980 individuals per day. Edmontonians will be able to swim at Borden for free, along with all outdoor pools in the city this summer.
