‘Clear and beautiful:’ Edmonton says chemical-free swimming pool first in Canada
EDMONTON — Any neighbourhood swimming pool is typically crowded on a July afternoon when it’s 30 C, but a new naturally filtered pool in Edmonton is so unusual that people are lining up from all over the city for a dip in its emerald-green water.
The Borden Natural Swimming Pool — which cost $14.4 million and opened to the public earlier this month — uses plants, zooplankton and granite rather than chlorine or salt to filter its water.
City officials say it’s the first of its kind in Canada and only the second in North America.
“The water is amazingly clear and beautiful. You can open your eyes under the water and see,” said Meaghan Bouchard, who brought her two kids one day this week and waited for over an hour to get in.