Hard Rock pool closed; leaking 20,000 gals. per day
By Kathryn Reed
Lake Tahoe Hard Rock’s pool has been losing 20,000 gallons a day for about a month, but it wasn’t until Thursday that hotel-casino authorities notified officials.
“They noticed an increase use in water in the pool in the last 30 days. They concluded it must be a leak,” JoAnn Kittrell with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection told Lake Tahoe News.
Officials from her agency were at the property July 24 to begin an investigation that first started with mandating the pool be closed until the problem is resolved. Hotel guests are without a pool-spa for an indefinite period. Chaise lounges and cabanas, though, were still on the deck.
Lake Tahoe Hard Rock’s pool is closed until the source of the water is fixed. Photo/LTN
Kittrell said it is too soon to know if the ground water and soil have been contaminated with chlorinated water to the point that remediation needs to be done. Whether the owners face a fine will be determined down the road.
The pool holds 200,000 gallons.
Edgewood Water Company supplies the water to Hard Rock. No one from there returned a call.
“They are going to dechlorinate and remove the water safely and legally,” Kittrell said of the next steps.
There was no evidence Friday night that this had begun. The pool was full as was the hot tub. Both have ropes around them and signs saying they are closed.
“They aren’t sure it is actually a leak, that is what they are investigating,” Jen Eastwood, spokeswoman for the Hard Rock, told Lake Tahoe News.
The front desk is telling callers there is a chemical imbalance in the pool.
“The pool itself is fine. They believe the issue is with the recycled pumping system – the plumbing that recycles the water that keeps it flowing,” Kittrell said. “They have sonar as a way to figure out where the leak is. They hope to do a minimal amount of excavation to reach it. The important thing is to stop any continued leaking into the soil there.”
When the Hard Rock opened in January summer pool parties were one of the things that were touted to set it apart from other Stateline casinos. The pool was installed when the hotel was first developed in the 1960s when it was known as Sahara Tahoe.
Thirsty swallows? Oh yeah, they hosed thier nests.
One can only imagine where all that chlorinated water went. Can they move the pool parties across the street?
I wonder if they are metered like some of us…..
STPUD told us recently that their water is always safe because they put plenty of chlorine in it. (I can tell by the smell). So what is the difference here? We’re watering with chlorinated water and drinking it so why would a pool leak need mediation. Just fix it.
In my opinion the water issue that needs attention is the massive system of beaver dams, side pools for their poop and lodges that are well entrenched into the river and feeder creeks in Tahoe and the nearby wilderness areas. It has changed the landscape and river environment dramatically. Giardia cysts can be your (or your pet’s) worst nightmare. The treatment is a poison. They should focus on something that really matters.
Poison the beavers? Yeah, thats a great solution. NOT!!!
Metered? They’re rich, they don’t pay like normal people. Don’t be silly. Tony.
I had STPUD knock on my door because my sprinklers ran 10 minutes past 6:00 am, but these guys have wasted about a million gallons in a month’s time (or longer)? Just like my Dad said, “life isn’t always fair”.
This whole project has been a joke from the beginning…inside and out. Bad, bad karma flows like the leaky pool at this place.
I have already steered numerous people away from wasting their money there.
It has been proven time and time again beavers are good for the environment. They contribute to keeping sediment from reaching the Lake. More ignorant comments advocating destruction of animal populations. Maybe you are better suited to a city environment.
Isee, those beaver dams do a better job at filtering out fine sediment thereby keeping it out of the lake and keeping that sediment from degrading the clarity of Lake Tahoe than all the multimillion dollar BMP projects or the stream rerouting projects combined. And the old argument that beavers are not indigenous to the high sierra has been disproven.
Ha Ha, Sorry, I meant – if you get the giardia cyst in your body from the water, the treatment to get rid of it, in people/animals is a poison (called flagell or similar) I don’t advocate poisoning any animals or waterways.I’ve already heard the pro-beaver argument so that’s why I said “in my opinion”. No one has to agree. Look at the water at the F/S Bridge Tract of the Upper Truckee and tell me that’s something you want to drink or swim in thanks to the beavers. It is there only a couple of years- there’s nothing native or natural about it. My bigger point was that chlorinated water seems to be a ‘drop in the bucket’ of water issue to focus on in Tahoe.
Instead of fixing the pool, it might cheaper for Warner Gaming just to take over the soon to be defunct Harveys (per the LTN story, or Google Caesars Entertainment for the news of this past week), and just use their pool instead?
I think the pool at The Sahara (Hard Rock) is great asset to the property. If the pool is leaking, at the pump, or wherever, get it fixed. I think the Hard Rock could get creative and make it into a “visual” drum set or more. Pool parties? Sure.
Heavenly pumps millions of gallons of STPUD water for snow making onto their mountain each winter. Do you think they dechlorinate it before pumping it up the hill. I don’t think so. Where does it go when it melts. I bet it’s pretty much the same outcome as the Hard Rock water leak. 20,000 gals of water isn’t much man made snow.
some one needs to go back to grade school and take a math class, 20000 gallons a day times 30 days is not 1 million gallons, try 600 thousand gallons.
The chemical level of a pool or hot tub is much greater than drinking water. Would any of you drink a glass of pool or spa water, or cook with it. This can’t be good for the environment.
If it’s not good for the environment maybe we shouldn’t be swimming in it ?
I was ready to prove Kits wrong after reading the comments as I was booked to stay at the Hard Rock just to get away from the kids for the night.
Well Kits, the remodeled rooms were nice, except the vanity lights in the sunset tower were never wired up. I can see why the Parks are withholding money from the contractors. The fact they haven’t fixed it yet demonstrates where the poor customer service starts. I know this is about the pool, but I have to say every little thing, just kept piling on, right down to the steak house, Park Prime. Well Kits is right on this one, stay away until they overhaul the whole place and get some customer service.
Stayed at the Hard Rock a couple of months ago and thought it was a BIG improvement over the Horizon. Perfect? Of course not. I also thought the Employees were doing a pretty good job.