W&L’s New Natatorium is Making a Splash
Washington and Lee University’s new natatorium is open! Located just below Augusta Square, part of the new third-year housing that opened earlier this year, the new swimming facility is a bright, open space with an impressive pool, second-floor observation area and wet classrooms.
Learn more in The Natatorium By the Numbers and watch the W&L men’s and women’s ODAC-winning swim teams inaugurate the new pool in this Quick Hits video.
The Natatorium By the Numbers
It cost $22.4 million, took about 24 months to complete, and occupies just under 1 acre of land.
It holds 589,000 gallons of water.
The 25-yard stretch pool has a 4-foot-wide bulkhead to create 2 zones for swimming.
It has 8 lanes for competition.
The shallow end starts at 4 feet, then goes to 5, 7, 10 and finally 12 feet deep.
The bump-out at one end of the building allows for the possibility of adding 3 springboard platforms.
The project required 6,000 cubic yards — 600 truckloads — of concrete for the foundation.
It took 42 blasts to facilitate excavation of rock from the pool basin.
The new system injects carbon dioxide into the water to keep the pH at about 7.4.
A complete turnover of the water through the filtration system can be completed in 4 hours.
