HYANNIS – YMCA Cape Cod in West Barnstable will reopen its pools following a final clearance from the state’s Department of Public Health.
The pools have been closed since a HazMat incident on October 7 that saw seven children in the facility’s after-school program require medical attention for respiratory issues.
The YMCA launched an internal investigation and discovered the incident was caused by an accidental mixture of muriatic acid and residual granular chlorine inside a filtration system in need of repairs, which led to noxious gas being released.
A statement from YMCA Cape Cod’s President & CEO Stacie Peugh said the group has been working with local and state authorities as they update training and operations for their aquatics and maintenance departments.
“We as an organization have been collectively devastated by this accident. We offer our most sincere apologies to all who have been impacted,” the statement said.
The YMCA did not comment of the health status of the involved children out of respect for privacy. The group noted that all seven kids are back in the after-school program.
The pools will reopen the morning of Wednesday, November 16.
By Brian Engles, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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