Coming soon: A sparkling improved Washington County swim pond

Uncovered in the recent overhaul of Washington County's swim pond were at least 100 rubber water toys buried in old sand, including an orange tugboat that Andrew Giesen now cradled in his hands.

"It's a fun experience," Giesen, a county design engineer, said of the popular manufactured swim pond in Lake Elmo Park Reserve.

The new and improved pond is weeks away from reopening after being closed this summer for reconstruction. The $1.3 million project replaced the pond's 30-year-old infrastructure, including a torn liner on the bottom, pipes that circulated water and "skimmers" that filtered chlorinated water to keep it safe.

"It's no question that this pond has served the community well," said County Engineer Wayne Sandberg, who explained that the pond and surrounding area, including a picnic area nearby, needed extensive repairs and improvements.

"It's been years in the making, the first step we hope in a longer journey to open it up and improve it," he said last week.

In coming weeks, workers will flood the pond's 3½ acres of sand with 2 million gallons of water, creating a clean, clear pool that's 1.9 acres in size.

The reconstruction reduced the pond's maximum depth from 6 feet to 4 feet to lessen the potential for drownings. Other improvements include more shade trees, sidewalks and benches, as well as accessible parking areas and picnic tables, and a hard-surfaced, zero-depth entry into the pond for swimmers using wheelchairs.

Once the pond is reconstructed, the county will consider improvements to the nearby concession stand, lifeguard station, restrooms and parking lots, which were designed years ago when fewer people came to the park.

Lake Elmo is the largest of Washington County's parks and includes the city's namesake lake. However, the lake has no swimming beach and people are discouraged from swimming there, Sandberg said.

Instead, he said, the swim pond with its 12 new blue-and-white umbrellas, 15 new red benches and a much wider sidewalk will give families plenty of room for safe play with lifeguards on duty.

To improve safety, barbecue grills were moved from the grounds around the pond to the nearby picnic area to eliminate distractions when kids play in the water, he said.

Recycling bins will replace trash cans to encourage more recycling, which amounted to no more than 2 percent of trash at the old pond, he said.

The Lake Elmo beach draws about 10 times the number of people who visit the beach at another big Washington County park, Big Marine, he said at a County Board meeting this spring.

Funding for the reconstruction came from state and Metropolitan Council general obligation bonds, and Parks and Trails Fund appropriations.

"Super popular," was how Sandberg described public interest in the swim pond.