Alliance Painting & Laser Ablation is proud to be part of the $3.3 million dollar upgrade for Vancouver’s Kitsilano Pool – North America’s longest saltwater pool.

“Kits Pool had a major upgrade over the winter,” said Park Board Chair Stuart Mackinnon. “The structural and mechanical improvements mean we’ll be able to reduce the need for potable water by 80 percent. The result is a greener building, energy savings and a pure, salt-water swimming experience for the public.”

New pool membrane

Upgrades included the removal and replacement of the pool basin membrane by Alliance Painting & Laser Ablation.

Other repairs were made to the deck plus the addition of pumps to replenish and remove sea water. Improvements to the concrete, new pool coating and control joints mean less water will escape. Prior to the upgrades 430,000 gallons of potable water had to be used a month to top up the pool as the ocean water escaped.

Funding for the $3.3 million Kits Pool upgrade came from the Government of Canada and City of Vancouver.

Kits Pool history

Kitsilano Pool has an illustrious history. First opened in 1931, it originally had a sandy bottom and was filled directly from the ocean with the occasional octopus or mud shark getting sucked in with the sea-water.

When the facility was refurbished in 1978 for $2.2 million, a pump system was installed but the pool continued to draw its water from English Bay unlike many outdoor pools which are filled with chemically treated water.

The pool has a special following among swimmers in the city, with many marking the opening and closing dates on their calendars, and attending every day if they can. In addition to the stunning setting in Kitsilano Beach Park, the length of the pool attracts many serious swimmers, including triathletes who use it to train.