Why do they water the pool? This question has most likely gone through minds of anyone who has ever visited or walked by the Auburn outdoor pool just outside the Student Activities Center and noticed the large amounts of water being sprayed into the pool at both ends.
It makes perfect sense to have a sprinkler system set up on a lawn to keep the grass and flowers hydrated and help them grow, but why water something like a pool that already has 600,000 gallons of water in it?
The answer to that question actually makes sense, believe it or not.
"It's to cool off the water," said pool supervisor Megan Hampton. "It's an aerating system that keeps the water temperature cool when the sun heats it up."
The cooling device is called a "Watercannon" and is manufactured by a company out of New York called Living Waters Aeration.
The "Watercannon" is the first and only portable swimming pool aerator on the international market, but most passersby don't know what purpose it serves at the outdoor pool.
"I always notice the water spraying into the pool when I am driving to and from class," said Lauralee Bishop, a senior in secondary education math. "I thought maybe it was a way of cleaning the pool, like they drained out the dirty water and shot clean water back into it. I really didn't know what it was for."
According the company's Web site, the idea behind the "Watercannon" came about by utilizing the process of aeration found naturally in ocean waves, river rapids and waterfalls.
The "Watercannon" replenishes necessary fresh oxygen supplies into the swimming pool water simply by recirculating the water already in the pool.
This helps to reduce the water temperatures to a more refreshing, cool level.
The NCAA requires the water temperature of pools used for collegiate swimming and diving competitions be kept between 79 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Auburn Aquatics Center uses the "Watercannon" at the outdoor pool to comply with the regulations set forth by the NCAA when the sun causes the water temperature to rise.
By using the aeration system, the water temperature of the pool can be reduced 15 to 20 degrees.
The "Watercannon" is a system that uses a 220-volt, 20-amp high-volume pump to pull water out of the pool and shoot it back into it at 160 gallons per minute.
Auburn's is not the only competition pool that uses this aeration system.
The U.S. Olympic Committee used the "Watercannon" for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The "Watercannon" not only helps the outdoor pool stay cool, but it also aids in cleaning the pool.
The process of aeration eliminates dangerous bacteria and algae build-ups in the pool, and also helps to reduce the amount of chemical needs required to maintain the pool.
"I work at the pool, and I didn't even know what it was used for," said Bethany Donaldson, a senior in agriculture communication, who works as a lifeguard at the Aquatics Center. "I just learned how to turn it off the other day so the basketball team could practice in the pool. I have people asking me what it's for all the time, and until now I didn't really know."
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