The spa pool at Auckland Council-owned Lagoon Pool & Leisure Centre in Panmure has been closed until further notice following the detection of Legionella bacteria.
YMCA Auckland, which manages the centre on behalf of the council, immediately closed the spa pool on Friday October 26 following notification from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) that the bacteria had been detected in the lint basket.
While the test is not linked to any known cases of legionellosis or Legionnaires’ disease, YMCA and Auckland Council are taking all precautions.
“Auckland Council and YMCA are taking all the necessary safety precautions, and following the guidelines set out by Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS),” said Rob McGee, Auckland Council’s head of active recreation.
Arvid Ditchburn, YMCA’s chief operating officer says hygiene and public safety is a priority.
“Every Thursday we discard our spa pool water, then clean and super-chlorinate the pool to kill off bacteria. Last month’s test for Legionella returned a negative result, which means the bacteria was not present in the spa pool.”
On Friday, immediately upon notification that Legionella had been detected, the spa pool was closed and a second round of super-chlorination and cleaning carried out.
“Further testing was undertaken today, and the pool will remain closed until we get the results of that test, which could take up to 10 days.”
The rest of the facilities at Lagoon Pool and Leisure Centre are unaffected and remain open.
“This is a one-off situation. We already have robust measures in place to minimise the presence of bacteria, and we are working with Auckland Council and ARPHS to see if any improvements can be made,” says Ditchburn.
More information on legionellosis can be found on the Auckland Regional Public Health Service website here.
