This summer, residents can pile into the family vehicle and take a trip to the coast to enjoy the salty sea air and take a dip in the Pacific Ocean.
Or, they can just go to the Thorbeckes Wellness Center pool in Centralia.
Earlier this month, the Thorbeckes pool made the jump from a traditional chlorine pool to a saltwater pool. As swimmers jump in and inevitably get a taste of the pool water, they will likely notice it tastes saltier than it used to be.
Thorbeckes owner Matt Noren said the change makes the pool more “natural.” Staff commented that their hair and skin were less irritated after a swim and described the pool water as “softer.”
“I struggled with my hair getting all crispy from the chlorine and my skin drying out,” Thorbeckes Aquatics Director Bella Rubert said. “All the other common issues that you find with regular chlorine pools. And when I got in the water on Saturday after the conversion, oh my goodness — I mean, you could immediately tell a difference.”
Those sorts of comments about saltwater pools are common online. Many users comment that the water is softer, smoother or slicker, but the difference isn’t much.
Beyond the subtle changes in feeling, the pool will be virtually unchanged and operate completely as normal with the same programming and hours of operation.
The pool itself has not been changed at all. Rather, it's the filtration and cleaning system that has been replaced.
While the water might be a hint saltier than before, it's still much less salty than the nearby Pacific Ocean. Saltwater pools in reality aren’t all that much different than a traditional pool, and it’s not the salt that keeps them clean.
It's still chlorine that keeps a salt water pool clean. The new saltwater pool uses an electrolysis machine to convert massive amounts of salt dumped into the water into chlorine, getting rid of the need to dump loads of chlorine all at once and keeping the levels better balanced at all times.
According to Noren, the new system allows the wellness center to better maintain the chlorine and pH levels.
“They can actually see pool temp, pH and salinity,” Noren said. “They can see all the stuff, and if the company that put this in, they also can get readings on all that stuff. So, if they see something's off, they can adjust it remotely.”
Any advantages in the water are subtle. Some swimmers might prefer the new feeling, but, for Noren, the change represents a larger desire to keep the local pool modernized and financially sustainable.
Noren said he would like to continue making progress on updates and eventually get to a place where the facility can start making upgrades.
“It is something that will make up for itself over time,” Noren said. “Because of the reduction in the amount of chemicals that we have to have, and just storing chemicals, and you know having to properly store them, make sure they're in the right place.”
Noren and his wife purchased Thorbeckes in November 2017 and have been operating the local fitness chain ever since. As part of that, they also took over the Centralia community pool partnership, which stretches back to 2001 when Thorbeckes, the city of Centralia and the Centralia School District entered into a partnership to have the local fitness center operate what was once a community pool.
Today, residents can access the pool with a standard Thorbeckes gym membership or a $10 day pass.
The saltwater conversion is the latest update to the pool building, which also recently got a new roof with help from the city and the school district.
Noren also has a vision for further updates to the building, starting with removing and replacing aging and rotting siding. And ending, he hopes, with the addition of the outdoor oasis with yard games and a snack bar at the currently fenced in outdoor area near the entrance.
For now, however, that plan is simply a concept, Noren said.
“This pool has been an asset in Centralia and the community for years and years,” Noren said. “If there’s something better we can do, we’re going to try to do that.”
