Capitol Hill wading pools to be more popular this summer

Boy with bicycle watching toy sailboat races, 1924
Originally uploaded by Seattle Municipal Archives

Because of a new federal safety law, Volunteer Park and Cal Anderson wading pools are likely to be even more crowded (and fun!) this summer. From the Seattle Parks wading pool page :

Seattle Parks and Recreation will operate 14 wading pool sites in the summer of 2009, rather than the usual 25, because of the need to complete federally required safety improvements required by the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. The Act, enacted by Congress and signed into law in December 2008, requires that all owners of pools and spas install specified
new drain covers and second anti-entrapment systems to protect swimmers from possible injury or death caused by getting caught in pool drains. Because of the nationwide demand for the drain covers and anti-entrapment systems and the skilled labor required to install them, there are delays in the work all over the country.

Because of the new restriction, Volunteer Park's pool will be only one of four to open on June 20. The others are in Green Lake Park, Lincoln Park, and Van Asselt Playground.

Cal Anderson's wading pool will be available just over a week later. It's slated to open on June 29.

Meanwhile, kiddies in the following neighborhoods gets bad news. These pools won't open at all this summer because of the delays in meeting the new safety requirements:

• Soundview
• Ravenna
• Highland Park
• Northacres
• Georgetown
• Gilman
• Beacon Hill
• Sandel
• Powell
• Barnett
• Magnuson
• Peppi’s Playground

Probably too late already if you want the job for this summer, but we've written in past that pool attendant at Volunteer Park has to be one of the cushiest parks jobs in existence -- maybe less so this summer.