Courtesy of the City of Denver
Audio By Carbonatix
The Aztlan Pool was found to be somewhat leaky … like, nearly 20,000-gallons-a-day leaky.
Denver Parks & Recreation announced the closure of the outdoor pool in the Sunnyside neighborhood on June 8 after workers noticed it was leaking “more than 16,000 gallons of water each day” during routine preseason maintenance.
“After a thorough evaluation, it became clear that the pool cannot be safely operated in its current condition,” Parks & Rec said in an announcement about the pool closure. “We understand this news will be disappointing for the many families, children and residents across Northwest Denver who rely on the pool each summer. For generations, the Aztlan Outdoor Pool has been more than a place to cool off; it has been a gathering place where children learn to swim, families spend time together, and neighbors build community.”
This was not the only news coming out of Parks & Rec that day. It also announced the reopening of the Montbello Recreation Center — nearly three weeks after a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed at the center — as well as the start of the design phase for the City Park bandstand, which had been burned down earlier this year.
Parks & Rec did not say how long the pool had been leaking or where the water was going, but wasting water has been on the tops of people’s minds since Gov. Jared Polis announced a statewide emergency regarding the ongoing drought last week. Polis’s emergency order followed Denver Water’s rare conservation steps in April.
The Aztlan Pool is part of the Aztlan Recreation Center. According to Parks & Rec, the Aztlan rec center now needs a full replacement.
Funding for the brand-new pool will come from the $950 million Vibrant Denver Bond passed in November 2025. Parks & Rec is “actively exploring opportunities to accelerate the project timeline and move construction forward as quickly as possible,” the department adds.
Fortunately, Aztlan isn’t the only outdoor pool the city operates during the summer. In fact, 12 other city-owned outdoor pools all opened for the season on June 8, including Ashland and Berkeley pools. There are also 17 indoor pools, including the new Swansea Recreation Center pool that opened at the end of May and a pool inside the Montbello rec center, now open for the season.
