Another summer of outdoor swimming has wrapped up at the Aquatera Outdoor Pool, with Sunday, September 13 marking the final day of the 2026 season.

The outdoor pool was originally scheduled to remain open until September 20, weather depending. The City made the decision to close for the season one week early based on sustained cooler temperatures, declining seasonal use and operational considerations, including a planned ATCO power outage on Wednesday, September 16.

Over the past week, overnight temperatures have reached or fallen below the 5 C operating threshold multiple times, with cooler daytime temperatures also affecting outdoor pool operating conditions. Continued low overnight temperatures increase the risk to outdoor pool infrastructure and make maintaining appropriate operating conditions increasingly challenging as the season progresses. Closing for the season now helps protect the facility from cold-weather impacts and allows staff to begin winterization activities. 

“Extending the outdoor pool season into September gave residents more time to enjoy outdoor swimming while the Eastlink Centre aquatics area was closed for annual maintenance,” said City of Grande Prairie Director of Recreation, Angela Redding. “We’re grateful to everyone who joined us at the pool this summer and to our teams for helping make another great season possible.”

The facility welcomed an estimated 14,000 patrons over the season, hosted 67 school, community group, birthday party and private rentals and offered three free community swims.

Eastlink Centre aquatics is scheduled to reopen on Thursday, October 1 following the annual maintenance shutdown. Residents can watch for the new October aquatics schedules at cityofgp.com/schedules closer to reopening.

The City thanks everyone who made the Aquatera Outdoor Pool part of their summer and looks forward to welcoming swimmers back next season.