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| Greenest and healthiest public pool in USA  The Richmond Plunge, a swimming pool first built in 1926 for area residents has undergone a 10-year, complete facelift. Todd Jersey Architecture, highly regarded as a pioneer in the green architecture movement, stepped in and developed and implemented the renovation plan to transform this community icon into the greenest and healthiest pool in the U.S. Using solar to heat 324,000 gallons of non-chlorinated saline water in the huge, 60 X 160 foot pool. The saline aquifer water for the pool is warmed by 80 Heliodyne Gobi 410 collectors in an Active Closed Loop pool heating system with Delta T Pro. The technology also includes an Amtrol expansion tank. The solar hot water system was installed by Sun Light & Power.There are 3,500 square feet of solar hot water panels for the pool's 324,000 gallons of water, 30 kilowatts of solar panels for electricity, 300 operable windows, a hyper-efficient boiler and sophisticated pool pumps. And the pool itself doesn't use chlorine. It's a saline pool that uses an ultraviolet disinfectant system. Kids and others will be able to swim without goggles. The many sustainable features make the Plunge the greenest and healthiest public pool in the U.S. Features include new technology for water conservation, energy efficiency and savings, natural ventilation, a repurposed historic mushroom fountain, and even a victory garden on the large underused west side of the structure for growing food for the community. Tens of thousands of gallons of water will be saved annually. Natural ventilation and the reduction of chloramines in the water will make swimming in the Plunge a truly healthy experience. The $7.5 million pool was paid for through city redevelopment money, funds from a regional voter measure, individual grants and also the donations - some as small as $5 – according to Ellen Strauss, president of the Save the Richmond Plunge Trust. The Richmond Plunge Trust raised money and awareness. They paid for a documentary, held garden tours, sold memorabilia and had a classic car show in the process of raising $500,000. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Construction News :: home page |