A typical season for public pools across the country runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but Los Angeles County is changing their schedule because of climate change.
In a statement, Janice Hahn, supervisor of Parks and Recreation Department Aquatics, said, “The warm weather isn’t over, and neither is Los Angeles County’s pool season.” Now, Los Angeles County pools will stay open through October 31st, 2024.
L.A. County maintains 41 pools at 30 locations, and they employ almost 600 lifeguards to keep all of these pools and locations operational. Now, those lifeguards have even more work ahead of them.
Along with the newly extended schedule, L.A. County also installed new lights at the pools for extended daily hours. This summer was the first-ever ‘Summer Parks After Dark’ event at the pool. And, fun events like these will continue for the next several weeks.
“It never made sense that our pools used to close in mid-August, and I am grateful that with the support of my colleagues and the hard work of our Parks and Recreation Department, we are keeping our pools open to the public through Halloween.” Said Hahn.
As climate change continues to play a pivotal role in all outdoor programming across the country, the decision to extend the outdoor pool season may soon be seen in other Parks and Recreation Departments. More time in the water is the positive side of these changes. Parks and Recreation Departments must also stay up to date on heat-related illnesses and other methods to keep users safe while they have fun outdoors in warmer temperatures. On the flip side, some Parks and Recreation Departments in the North may be looking at ways to innovate their winter programming as traditionally chilly months see higher and higher temperatures.
Pool schedules will be adjusted slightly for the extended season. Swimmers and public pool goers in L.A. County can find the full schedule for pools on the parks and recreation website.
