The Student Recreation Center pool was recently drained for the first time in a decade.

Lacey John, aquatics program coordinator for Campus Recreation, said students shouldn’t think that they were swimming in stale water last semester because this is completely normal when maintaining a pool.

The Rec Center pool is currently being renovated and re-plastered.

However, a pool should not be drained for simply cleaning the water. If a pool is drained and has water underneath its shell, it can heave and be lifted out of the ground. A pool should only be drained for diluting total dissolved solids like metals and to perform maintenance on the plaster, wrote Ray Cronise, a certified building professional, in an article.

The pool and decks are cleaned daily and the chemical levels are checked frequently, John said.

Major upkeep, like the pool’s ongoing renovation, is much more infrequent and requires the pool to be drained, John said.

Students didn’t believe that the Rec Center would have them swimming in 10-year-old water in the first place.

“”They don’t tell you that stuff, you assume that they fix and clean it,”” said Doug Berlinski, an undeclared sophomore. “”It’s good that they fix the pool now instead of later.””

Berlinski said that he used the pool last semester and will continue to do so.

Some students were unperturbed by the idea of swimming in water years old.

“”It doesn’t bother me,”” said Ryan Kingzett, an engineering freshman.

Kingzett did admit that it did seem to be a long time between pool drains.

Ashley Beasley, an anthropology freshman, trusted the cleaning chemicals in the pool, if only for peace of mind it gave her.

“”There is a filter system and the water is constantly fresh,”” John said.

The renovation at the Rec Center pool is scheduled to be completed sometime during the spring semester, and the pool will open shortly thereafter.