“We’ve been doing more testing,” said culture and recreation director Leo Broere, fresh from a sub-aquatic inspection of the pool bottom.

When staff discovered evidence in March of water seeping into the tunnels beneath the pool, Bondfield Construction, general contractor for the sportsplex project was called in to seal the tunnel wall. This stopped the seeping into the tunnels but water was still leaking out of the pool. The pool would lose about two inches overnight.

After further inspection, the evidence is pointing to the hydrostatic release valve, a safety device installed in the floor of the pool designed to release hydrostatic pressure by allowing groundwater into the pool.

“If there is more pressure in the groundwater than the tank, the shell could pop,” Broere explained. “If the valve was faulty and stuck it could release water from inside the pool.”