Oklahoma City, Okla. — The Oklahoma City-County Health Department is investigating concerns about water quality at the Okana Resort’s waterpark, following reports of a temporary closure due to a failed inspection.
The $400 million resort, which opened in February, briefly closed after its 1.4 million-gallon lagoon was found to have zero chlorine during an inspection on July 21.
“Anytime chlorine is out of range, which is supposed to be 1 to 5 parts per million, if it’s a little high or a little low, the operator is supposed to close that pool until they can get that corrected,” said Daniel DeGeus from the Oklahoma City-County Health Department.
Chlorine is essential for killing pathogens or bacteria that can cause illness.
The inspection reports obtained by Fox 25 News revealed the chlorine level was adjusted to 3.2 parts per million, allowing the pool to reopen four hours later.
The pH balance, which measures acidity, was maintained in all pools tested. “If the pH level is extremely low or extremely high, it can burn your skin and cause you damage,” DeGeus said.
In response to online claims about failing chlorine and pH levels, Okana Water Park General Manager Brian Szydloski stated, “I wouldn’t say much of a response. Again, our focus here is just on a daily basis doing what we need to do ensuring the thousands of bathers that we’ve had come in and out of our pools remain safe by going above and beyond what these safety standards are from the state and from the county to ensure that all the swimmers that enter our pools have a fun and safe time.”
The Oklahoma City-County Health Department released a statement on September 4th, 12 days after the first video on the issue was posted, acknowledging awareness of a community member’s concern about the pool inspection at Okana.
The department is assessing all relevant information and will implement corrective actions and preventive measures, if necessary, to protect public health and safety.
Szydloski emphasized the resort’s commitment to safety, saying, “Safety here at Okana’s our number one priority, and that’ll always be the case.”
He noted that a team checks the water’s chemical levels every two hours to ensure safety standards are met.
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