Tulane University’s outdoor social pool above the Reily Student Recreation Center reopened this week following its five-year closure. The pool is open to all students every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of the pool in March 2020. Drain repairs, the rebalancing of pool water chemistry and the hiring of lifeguard staff have made the reopening possible.  

Tulane’s social pool was constructed in 1989 as an extension of the natatorium, where the indoor campus pool is located for sporting and recreational use. 

Tulane campus recreation director Wendy Windsor said that a lack of maintenance funding did not play a role in the pool’s closure, and funding will not be revoked from other forms of campus recreation. 

“The plan was always to conduct needed repairs and reopen the social pool upon completion of the natatorium renovation and maintenance project,” Windsor said.  

The social pool operates on an annual schedule and is open from March to October.  

The maximum capacity for the social pool is 25 students. There is a lifeguard presence in the area, fulfilled by current campus recreation staff certified to oversee the pool. 

Lifeguards enforce the existing natatorium pool rules for the social pool. This includes, but is not limited to, the prohibition of running and rough play, entering headfirst into water less than seven feet deep, swimming under or walking on the bulkhead and eating or drinking anything other than water. 

The pool can only be accessed by entering the natatorium through the indoor pool space and exiting to the outdoor balcony. While this indoor area is used for Tulane’s aquatic sports teams, there is “no anticipated disruption of NCAA swim and dive practices or competitions,” Windsor said.  

There are also coinciding recreation updates under consideration, but they have not yet been finalized or disclosed to the student population.