East Potomac Pool Status Update: “Sadly it won’t open this summer.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user nici161

Thanks to a reader for passing on her query to DGS about the status of the reopening of the East Potomac Pool:

“Thank you for your inquiry about the modernization of East Potomac Pool, which is currently underway. This email is to provide an update regarding the construction and the pool’s opening.

We want to assure you that providing residents and the patrons of the East Potomac Park with a state of the art new pool; pool deck and pool house is our priority.

The opening of East Potomac Pool is currently scheduled for summer of 2020. This is a delay from our previously communicated timeframe of Summer 2019. The new date and time is due to unforeseen construction circumstances during construction.

During construction, our teams faced several unforeseen circumstances, which included the findings of:

• Multiple manholes buried beneath the existing site

• Undocumented utility lines that are running across the site that was identified during our basement and de-watering excavations.

• Pepco service reconfiguration and upgrades for the entire site

In addition to the unforeseen circumstances the most significant setback has also been the weather; the heavy rain periods made de-watering and excavation efforts more difficult to clear. Also due to the rain, further shoring is needed to remove pool soils located under the existing pool, deck, and basement.

To ensure the safety and high-quality pool construction, it was our decision along with our partners at the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to delay the opening of the pool as our teams continue to remediate these unforeseen circumstances.

We understand this may come as an inconvenience, and we apologize. For further updates on the project, please follow our website page.”