Let's turn the canal into a swimming pool!

[Jared]

I was at the canal today and thought about how awesome it would be if the canal were a swimming pool. I'm envisioning 105 degree weather, a crystal clear canal packed with families, restaurants jamming music and people sipping margaritas on the patios. I think this would be something huge for our city because there is nothing like this in the world(I'm prepared to be proven wrong).

This swimming pool would bring tons of locals from OKC that normally wouldn't go to Bricktown on a hot summer day. In my opinion, most locals do not go to the canal for the Water Taxi, but I could see this as a destination. This would be a huge attraction, almost like our own beach. It would certainly have the right atmosphere and it would be one of the longest pools in the world.

This would make the canal more useful. Restaurants would want to interact with the canal. Foot traffic would increase significantly and the Water Taxi tours could always be kept seasonally.

What are your thoughts?

[catch22]

Yes.

[Anonymous.]

Funny idea for sure.

But it just doesn't make sense. Noway to life guard it/make money off it as it would have to be fenced in. Thus ruining the whole focal point of the canal in the first place.

[wdj]

I always wished that an awesome public water park, a la a spiffier Earlywine, would be incorporated into the C2S park. Instant draw.

[bluedogok]

The city wouldn't want the liability and it is only wading pool deep. I know the water was changed out once a year for canal and dyed to hide the trash that people throw into it. There is an amazing amount of busted bottles in there after a year. It would have to be cleaned much more often for it to have some kind of use like that.

I worked on a water park/hotel project south of the old I-40 that never came to fruition.

[jn1780]

It would run into the same kind of issues that Thunder Alley had.

[Jared]

Sid-
That is a great idea. This could really connect the boathouse district to the canal and Bricktown. Do you have any ideas? I feel like wet feet are better than no feet

Anonymous-
What is the problem you see with lifeguarding it? What is wrong with building those tall stands along the side? Also, we could set up kiosks to sell wristbands to those patrons entering the pool. Thus, not needing a fence. What do you think?

[Rover]

Totally impractical idea. Fun and funny, but impractical.

[Jared]

bluedog-

I was thinking that 4 feet was a good depth. As far as safety and enjoyability. I was thinking about the pool at the Cottages of Norman. It's a big hit and is no more than 4 feet. It was about the experience. It would also be less volume to clean. (although a mile of water is a lot of water)

What was wrong with Thunder Alley? Too many people downtown? This is still in the planning stages so we have plenty of time to figure out security.

[Anonymous.]

Okay, at first I thought OP was just being funny, but now I am not so sure.

[ljbab728]

Sorry, but it's a totally impractical idea. Do you want it heated too for the 8 months of the year when it would be much too cold? LOL

Having a swimming area in the Boathouse District or Core to Shore sounds reasonable. In the Bricktown Canal, not so much.

[Snowman]

What is the problem you see with lifeguarding it? What is wrong with building those tall stands along the side? Also, we could set up kiosks to sell wristbands to those patrons entering the pool. Thus, not needing a fence. What do you think?

(I hate to sound so negative on this but ...)

To cover it well it would probably take more lifeguards than OKC has at all the other pools combined, which the city barely has been able to scrape up enough money to do, the curves limit how much the height of the lifeguard stands could help keep line of site on people and be close enough to get to them quickly. If people are swimming in it then they could not run the water taxis and I have doubts that you will get enough people wanting to swim in an area more public than the average city pool to outnumber the people displace from using the taxis and the city has been wanting more things that are touristy downtown. It does not have a system to clean the water to standards required for a pool. The only reason it probably is allowed to not have a fence is shallow enough it that it is unlikely a child would drowned, which is the first thing fences are intended for (second is keeping inline with requirements for insurance), money is generally a lower issue as only a couple of our pools even take in enough to cover all normal operations, probably none of them cover that and maintenance.

The most that seems reasonable they might do would be a small wading cove and/or sprayground along the canal, in any case I would be surprised if the council went for swimming since they have enough of a struggle keeping all the pools open in general, Mr Kelly has probably been the strongest advocate in recent years to trying to find ways of keeping as many as possible open but due to low attendance they have still had to close a few.

[Jared]

Anonymous-

I'm being dead serious. If we can spend $30 million to run a canal through a (then) dead district, why couldn't we spend $x million to make it the country's coolest pool. I live in Deep Deuce and never have/will get on a Water Taxi. Maybe they do a lot better than I think they do, but it's kinda sad seeing those empty boats float around. I want great things for the city, and sometimes those ideas just seem crazy. There are much bigger pools than this. In all reality, its only three times as much water as a normal large public pool.

Anyways, do I believe that it will happen? No, I don't. But, this site is about the only place I know where I can find out why.

jlbab-

4 months of a booming tourist season beats 12 months of a looming tourist season in my mind. But no, I don't think heating it would be necessary, I think resuming the Water Taxi would suffice.

[Jared]

Snowman-

Thanks, great points. The funny thing about the fence... When I was trying to think of how it would work, I realized that nothing was changing, except that people would now be getting into the water. So, I'm surprised the canal doesn't require a fence now.

[ljbab728]

It's nice to think out of the box, Jared, but it is an idea that has too many negatives and obstacles to ever work.

[ljbab728]

Snowman-

Thanks, great points. The funny thing about the fence... When I was trying to think of how it would work, I realized that nothing was changing, except that people would now be getting into the water. So, I'm surprised the canal doesn't require a fence now.

The only bodies of water that require fencing are for swimming. You don't see any fencing required along the river.

[Just the facts]

I was at the canal today and thought about how awesome it would be if the canal were a swimming pool. I'm envisioning 105 degree weather, a crystal clear canal packed with families, restaurants jamming music and people sipping margaritas on the patios. I think this would be something huge for our city because there is nothing like this in the world(I'm prepared to be proven wrong).

Here is the worlds largest pool.

[Snowman]

The only bodies of water that require fencing are for swimming. You don't see any fencing required along the river.

As much a pain as it is to actually get in and especially out of the river anywhere but the docks, it is a little bit surprising they got away without having a railing or fence on the river walk in front of the boathouses, city parks and trails along it. Possibly due to the river being dry during the years people got more litigious, I have been to a few cities that either require it or it is just there standard operating procedure to put fences on public land near their river if people can walk near it.

[boitoirich]

Jared, I have stayed at the Grande Laguna Phuket, which features the longest pool in Asia. Places along the pool feature wading areas for children, water sports (no sophomoric gigitties from any of you), areas to swim laps, more private areas tucked away from the main swimming trail, bars, and dining. Swimmers can drink or dine in the pool (along elevated seating areas, with their feet still in the water). None of the areas are fenced in because doing so would be unnecessary and unsightly. The idea does work and it actually works quite well.

Suffice it to say I love your idea, or at least I love the thought process it comes from. With some modifications, I could see this concept working in Bricktown, the Boathouse District (more likely), or perhaps in Core to Shore. Change or things done a different way may make people uncomfortable at first, but once established they will get over it.

[boitoirich]

This may help visualize what the bar/dining areas look like. The waiter or bartender operates inside the preparation area, and swimmers need not ever leave the pool.

[jn1780]

Bottom line: You would need to have it closed off so you could manage who uses it. Resorts are closed off so it works great at these kind of places.

[SoonerDave]

I was at the canal today and thought about how awesome it would be if the canal were a swimming pool. I'm envisioning 105 degree weather, a crystal clear canal packed with families, restaurants jamming music and people sipping margaritas on the patios. I think this would be something huge for our city because there is nothing like this in the world(I'm prepared to be proven wrong).

This swimming pool would bring tons of locals from OKC that normally wouldn't go to Bricktown on a hot summer day. In my opinion, most locals do not go to the canal for the Water Taxi, but I could see this as a destination. This would be a huge attraction, almost like our own beach. It would certainly have the right atmosphere and it would be one of the longest pools in the world.

This would make the canal more useful. Restaurants would want to interact with the canal. Foot traffic would increase significantly and the Water Taxi tours could always be kept seasonally.

What are your thoughts?

I initially thought this was a joke, but I guess it's serious.

Its a novel idea, I suppose, but its not even remotely practical.

The canal is not even close to deep enough, and I don't even want to fathom the liability for the first kid that "dives in" (despite what I'm sure would be hundreds of warning signs) and cracks his head open. Maintaining a "swimming canal" would, IMHO, quickly turn into a major albatross.

[Rover]

Water treatment, user safety, filtration, security, sanitation, .....

If you want a big downtown aquatic park, get support and build it. This isn't one and isn't designed to be one. You can take the trunk lid off a sedan, but it doesn't make it a pickup, just a junked up car.

[Larry OKC]

As far as the 4ft depth goes, doesn't Whitewater Bay have a similar, circular "lazy river" of about that depth where you can walk, or float? Seems like they did the last time I was out there a decade or 2 ago???

[rcjunkie]

As far as the 4ft depth goes, doesn't Whitewater Bay have a similar, circular "lazy river" of about that depth where you can walk, or float? Seems like they did the last time I was out there a decade or 2 ago???

They do indeed, so lets post a couple of signs along the canal with directions to White Water Bay..