Phoenix opens 20 pools for Memorial Day weekend

As temperatures continue to rise, those in Phoenix will have more options when it comes to where they can hit the pool this summer.

Phoenix is opening a total of 20 pools, plus five others that have been turned into splash pads.

Many of the pools are opened Memorial Day weekend. Find specific information about each pool at the Phoenix website.

Becky Kirk is the aquatic supervisor with the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department. She said the goal is to eventually reopen every one of the city’s 29 pools in some capacity.

“The city will operate 19 pools this summer with an additional, 20th pool that is going to be operated through a partnership,” explained Kirk. “So we'll have 20 of our pools open this summer, which has changed – I mean, we continually grow each year since the pandemic.”

More than anything, she said staffing is the challenge, especially for positions like “having qualified individuals to oversee the lifeguards that work. We have worked really hard to do incentives, to increase wages and that has really attracted a lot of the teen workers that we need to be lifeguards.”

Which still leaves a gap.

But Kirk said keeping public pools widely accessible is crucial because they provide a neutral place to unwind and learn potentially life-saving skills.

“We teach about 12,000 people to swim each summer,” she said.

Kirk added that in addition to the five pools expected to reopen as splash pads, there’s another pool that’s expected to finish construction in the fall.

The city also offers a list of splash pads along with their hours.