On March 3, aquatics center director Kinsey Wallace received a call from Jeremy Kline, Carmel Swim Club coach and lifeguard. Kline told her there had been an explosion at the pool and a dolphin in the water.

The explosion in question did not take place in the pool itself, but above it, where a light fixture blew out, sending shards of glass flying onto the pool deck and possibly into the water. The dolphin in question is actually a term for the vacuum designed to suck up residue and debris from a pool’s surface. Because of the possibility of broken glass in the pools, the aquatics center staff was forced to drain and clean the pool and is currently in the process of refilling it. This process will affect the free lap swim program and possibly the swim meet on March 7 and 8.

“We are on a major time crunch,” Wallace said. “The process takes four days so we are closed until Thursday, and we have a big swim meet on Friday and Saturday.”

Returning the pool to its previous state isn’t as easy as filling it back up with water again. According to Wallace, even after the pool is filled with water, aquatics center staff and maintenance still must return it to its normal temperature and add the requisite chemicals in order to allow it to function as it once did.

The incident has garnered much attention from swimmers and students.

“There’s been a lot of discussion with high school kids coming down here and taking pictures and tweeting it,” Kline said.

Wallace is optimistic that the pool will be ready in time for the next swim meet. However, the free lap swim program, which allows community members to swim at the aquatics center free for two weeks, was postponed due to the incident.

Despite postponement of the free lap swim programs, Homeschool programs and more, Wallace is, at the moment, more concerned with how the incident will affect the upcoming meet.

“Hopefully everything works out or else we’re screwed,” Wallace said.