The pool house at Cloverdale’s Greenaway Outdoor Pool is currently under a work tent, as the City of Surrey works to remove lead-based finishes from its walls and wood soffits.
Earlier this month, the City of Surrey said it would be removing lead-based finishes from four pool houses this year, including the pool house at Greenaway.
Tests found lead-based finishes in various areas of the pool house, including on the exterior walls, the walls in the showers and changing areas, and the metal door frames and doors.
According to the city, the lead-based products will be removed using “a combination of abrasive blasting, hand grinding and hand demolition” and the work area “will include a full polyethylene enclosure with a three stage decontamination chamber at the entrance.”
Greenaway pool will also have wood soffits with lead-based finishes removed.
In a statement emailed to the Now-Leader, the City of Surrey stated its facilities division is “always proactive in managing risk and creating a safe environment.”
“Our outdoor pools were built in the early 1960’s and lead was used in the paint which has been confirmed by testing conducted by our environmental consultant,” the statement read.
“We have requested funding for lead removal over the past few budget cycles however, our lead abatement program got a jump start when facilities was successful in obtaining Canada 150 infrastructure funding to complete the lead abatement in three outdoor pools, Unwin, Hjorth Road and Holly last year. We used our base funding to complete the lead abatement at Sunnyside outdoor pool.”
Facilities has recieved funding to complete lead abatement for Royal Kwantlen, Bear Creek, Port Kells and Greenaway pool in 2018.
According to the city, the lead removal process should take about three to four weeks and the work is being done in accordance and in consultation with WorkSafe BC and its internal Occupational Health and Safety Department.
The lead abatement program is “a proactive initiative of facilities” that mitigates all risk and minimizes “paint chipping or peeling monitoring requirements,” said the statement, noting that “there has been no incident or risk to date that have surfaced.”
—with files from Amy Reid
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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