Challenge

Built in 1963, the Natatorium has a seating capacity of 1,500 and often hosts meets for the Wisconsin men's and women's swimming and diving teams and WIAA boys and girls swimming and diving meets. Approximately 24,000 swimmers utilize the facility on an annual basis.

The racing pool and diving well at the Natatorium are used by the university's swim team for practice and competitive meets as well as area high schools for their meets. The racing pool is 25 yards long (22.86 m) and 8 lanes wide and holds 175,000 gal (662.4 cu m). The diving well is a separate pool that measures 50 ft x 40 ft (15.2 m x 12.2 m) and holds 190,000 gal (719.2 cu m), equipped with one meter spring boards for recreational use. The diving well is also used for deep aqua fitness classes.

The Natatorium utilized breakpoint chlorination to control combined chlorine, a standard practice to ensure a safe water environment and good indoor air quality. This process requires excess amounts of chlorine, labor and downtime to perform.  In addition, breakpoint chlorination is difficult, at best, to achieve as the bather load varies.  As with many indoor facilities, this practice often fails to control the noxious chloramine odors that irritate the eyes, skin, lungs and airways of swimmers, staff and spectators. 

Solution

When Siemens Water Technologies local UV distributor, Clyde Hegerfeld of Midwest Pool Supply began selling Barrier® UV disinfection systems, he consulted with Siemens’ UV expert, Bob Kappel. When Hegerfeld and Kappel visited the UW Natatorium, they immediately identified increased levels of combined chlorine caused by the heavy bather load which breakpoint chlorination was not able to adequately address.

In August 2009 during short routine maintenance period, Midwest Pool Supply, with the assistance of Badger Swim Pools of Sauk City, Wisconsin installed a Barrier M275 UV system on the 175,000 gal (662.4 cu m) lap pool and a Barrier M525 UV system on the 190,000 gal (719.2 cu m) diving well.. 

Results

Since the installation, the normal chlorine usage has remained the same, however, the university is realizing savings in chlorine, labor costs and less downtime due to the elimination of the breakpoint chlorination process.  John Arneson, physical plant staff member agrees the Barrier UV system is also much easier to maintain   With the elimination of excessive chlorine and noxious chloramine odors, swimmers and spectators will be able to spend more time in the pool during practice sessions and meets.  An added benefit of the UV systems resulted in an improvement of water clarity.  When the Natatorium is closed next August for it’s annual cleaning, it’s anticipated less maintenance will be required to clean  the pool’s tile and grout since extra chemicals aren’t being used to breakpoint chlorinate the pool. 

Attending coaches have reported “the water clarity and air quality is the best they have seen in 15 years and consider the university’s Recreational Sports Natatorium as one of the best facilities they visit, even though it is the oldest.  The University of Wisconsin has strived to maintain that stature and Siemens’ Barrier® UV disinfection system has helped that image," says Arneson.

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