Brookhaven public swimming pool out of commission after power outage
A power outage in Holtsville Monday may have led to a power surge that "melted" an industrial filter motor at an Olympic-size public pool operated by Brookhaven Town, closing the pool. Officials hope to have it reopened Friday. Credit: Newsday/James Carbone
A power outage in Holtsville Monday may have led to a power surge that "melted" an industrial filter motor at an Olympic-size public pool operated by Brookhaven Town, taking it out of commission on Monday and Tuesday, an official said.
Town Supervisor Dan Panico said town electricians were working Tuesday morning to either find a new pump motor or fix the damaged one as the pool used by hundreds of people each day remained out of commission until the pump is replaced or fixed. Temperatures are expected to soar into the 90s today.
Town employees located a replacement filter, which is expected to be in Holtsville on Thursday, and the pool could be back in service Friday, Panico said.
An email from a town employee noted the late-morning Monday power surge led the motor to "essentially melt from the inside out," Panico said. "We are certainly going to follow up with PSEG because our constituents are also their ratepayers." The cost for the new motor is $10,000.
"Our priority is to get the pump replaced and the pool opened safely ASAP," he said.
Brookhaven normally opens the pool, starting at 7 a.m., including for summer camps held there. A smaller children's pool operated by the town remains open at the Holtsville site.
A notice on the town’s website Monday said the adjoining Holtsville Park and Ecology Site is "currently experiencing power issues," but those were resolved once the outage was restored.
PSEG Long Island spokeswoman Elizabeth Flagler said the utility responded to a blown fuse in the area Monday. "There was an outage for approximately an hour," she said in an email. "It is unfortunate the pool’s filter motor needs to be replaced. We have been in contact with the town and we are opening an investigation into the cause."
Panico said the town will "deal with PSEG on financial remuneration later" for the industrial-sized pool filter.
Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.
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