Westside Natatorium reduced to half its size

The Westside Natatorium has been reduced to half its size due to a malfunctioning bulkhead.

A bulkhead is a moveable dividing wall or barrier in the pool. The bulkhead is stuck right in the middle.

Deputy City Manager for Pubic Works Ted Marquez said there was a leak in one of the containers.

“The concern is that we cannot move it, and the only thing that affects is that w cannot make the pool usable for long swimming.” Marques said.

The Olympic-sized pool is 50 meters long. The swimming lanes are turned vertically and are 25 yards long.

The $15.5 million pool opened its doors in April. It was paid for with the 2012 Quality of Life bond.

In August, only a few months after it opened, the pool was shut down for another issue.

In a statement sent to ABC-7 in August, the Parks and Recreation Department said the moving bulkhead damaged some tiles. ” The Parks and Recreation Department expected to experience some issues as part of the transition of operating this new type of facility.”

On Wednesday, Marquez told ABC-7, “At this point, they are two unrelated problems. The first one has been fixed. It’s been operating normally and without any problems.”

The bulkhead is still under the manufacturers warranty and will be fixed through them. It will not cost taxpayers any money.

The bulkhead is expected to be repaired sometime this month.

Marquez said, “We’re in talks with the manufacturer. They are going to come in and tell us what time frame is required to make the repairs. Based on that information then we will make a determination on whether we can do it overnight, whether we can do it thorough the non-busy hours, or we are required to close a section for the pool, or the whole pool for one day.”