Chlorine leak prompts evacuation at Ottawa wave pool

Ottawa Fire Services hazmat crews responded to a reported chlorine leak at the Splash Wave Pool on Ogilvie Road. Jan. 14, 2024. (Jean Lalonde/Ottawa Fire Services)

Ottawa Fire Services says a chlorine leak prompted an evacuation at the City of Ottawa-owned Splash Wave Pool on Ogilvie Road Sunday morning.

An employee called the fire department to say there was a leak in one of the maintenance rooms at around 8:16 a.m.

Thirty people were inside the building at the time and had evacuated by the time the OFS hazardous materials crew arrived four minutes later.

Firefighters removed a 100-pound chlorine tank from the building and assessed one employee, who reported feeling light-headed and nauseated.

Ottawa paramedics say no one needed to go to the hospital.

The hazmat team checked every room in the building for high levels of chlorine. Everything came back negative for the gas.

The scene was cleared by 9:27 a.m. and the building was turned back over to staff.

The Splash Wave Pool is open as normal for the remainder of the day. It closes at 5 p.m. Sunday.