Feces Found in Indoor Pool in Yeongju, Resulting in '700 Tons' of Water Replacement
In an indoor swimming pool in Yeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, feces were discovered, leading to the complete replacement of 700 tons of water.
According to Yeongju City and other sources on the 23rd, a report was received on the 15th at around 4:30 PM from a user of the indoor swimming pool, stating that "feces were floating." Upon verification by onsite authorities, actual feces were found in the pool water.
Actual feces found in the pool water
The management of the pool temporarily closed the facility and removed about one-third of the pool water, conducting filtration and disinfection overnight. However, users, expressing their dissatisfaction, could not be calmed by the measures taken, stating, "How can we swim in water with feces floating?"
Ultimately, in order to alleviate users' concerns, the pool management carried out a complete water replacement operation using 700 tons of tap water. It is reported that the costs incurred during this process were covered by the city’s budget.
Furthermore, the pool management announced that they would provide free swimming lessons for a week to students who felt discomfort due to this incident.
Pool officials reviewed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to determine the cause of the incident; however, they have not yet been able to identify the user who defecated in the pool.
Yeongju City explained that it is difficult to find the user involved since the incident occurred in the water.
Meanwhile, similar cases of pool contamination have been continuously occurring in swimming pools and water play areas during the summer season.
According to a study conducted in 2017 by researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada, 75 liters of urine were detected in a large swimming pool with a capacity of 830,000 liters. This corresponds to the volume of about 50 1.5-liter water bottles.
Image source: Provided by Yeongju City, illustrative photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank
