INDIANAPOLIS — Shana Ferguson heard the questions, saw the negative comments on social media and completely understood the confusion. A U.S. Olympic swimming trials, after all, had never been held in an NFL stadium before.
The naysayers were worried about what would happen with the pools that were built inside Lucas Oil Stadium, not to mention the nearly two million gallons of water that had been pumped in from the White River for the competition.
“What a waste of resources,” was the common theme of the critics, said Ferguson, chief commercial officer for USA Swimming. She told IndyStar she wanted to clear things up.
The nearly 2 million gallons of water that were pumped in from a hydrant on South Capitol Avenue to the competition and warmup pools in Lucas Oil started being drained Sunday as soon as the final lap was completed at the trials.
“And the water will be returned to the White River cleaner than we got it,” said Ferguson.
When the water was extracted from the White River for the swim trials, it was cleaned, brought into Lucas Oil where contractors and engineers cleaned it again to make it competition ready, adding the appropriate chemicals and chlorine.
When the trials ended Sunday, the water began draining and crews went to work to remove the chlorine, remove all the impurities and then return it to the White River.
“Not only are we not wasting resources, but we’re also actually returning them cleaner than we got them,” said Ferguson. “So, it’s really a sustainability story.”
A new purpose
The pools that were built inside Lucas Oil for the Olympic trials — the main competition pool and warmup pool — are being removed piece by piece this week and will travel to new homes.
“All the pools get recycled, if you will, and reused,” said Scott Davison, CEO of OneAmerica Financial, which sponsored the trials.
The competition pool will remain in Indiana.
“They will actually dig a hole in the ground in Fort Wayne, they will pour concrete around it, and we will drop this pool in and, voila, you’ve got a permanent pool,” said Davison. “And obviously, if you’re the swim club in Fort Wayne, to have the Olympic trials pool is pretty cool.”
Once completed, the pool will be the main exhibit of a new swimming facility in Fort Wayne, a $50 million project that is expected to generate $20 million a year for the city.
The warmup pool will be transported to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What happened to 2M gallons of water, pool at Lucas Oil after trials
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