(BIVN) – The Pāhoa Community Aquatic Center is closed until further notice following last weekend’s episode 41 eruption at Kīlauea volcano. 

The Hawaiʻi County Department of Parks and Recreation announced Friday that the closure is necesary due to the accumulation of tephra – principally ash and Pele’s hair — in the pool. 

On Saturday, January 24, high lava fountains at Kīlauea, coupled with light winds blowing to the east and north, sent the volcanic fragments over much of the Puna and South Hilo. The USGS says there was a “dusting of fine-grained ash and Pele’s hair, extending from Pepeekeo to Kalapana.” 

photo of the ash and Pele’s hair extracted from the Pāhoa pool, courtesy Hawai’i County

A similar closure occurred at the Pāhoa Community Aquatic Center during the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea on the lower East Rift Zone.

From the County of Hawaiʻi:

Despite concerted efforts by the County to rinse down the facility’s roofing, pressure wash the pool decks, and continuously vacuum the pool basin, ash and Pele’s hair continues to collect in the pool as it is blown from the roofs of nearby structures, from nearby trees, and across open areas of the park. The integrity of the pool’s filtration system is also in question given the amount of debris that has likely infiltrated the sand media in the filters.

As a result, Parks and Recreation is initiating the process, with the assistance of the Finance Department, of hiring a contractor to perform a comprehensive cleaning of the pool basin and filtration system.

“It’s important to the public’s health and safety to conduct a thorough cleaning of the entire pool to ensure safe operation and use of the facility going forward,” said Clayton Honma, Director of Parks and Recreation. “We appreciate the public’s patience during this closure and look forward to welcoming swimmers back to the pool when the project is complete.”

The County says it will provide more details about the timeline for the closure as the project progresses.