WorldWide Drilling Resource

bound for the aquifer. After the pool is emptied, workers turn on the pump and refill it with fresh water from 50 to 75 feet below the ground. The nearly 100-year-old buildings surrounding the pool require constant maintenance. To preserve the unique character of the area, every repair requires approval from historical reviewers. “Everything is a process in this facility, but it is a beautiful facility, and the fact that it is historic, it kind of main- tains that original look from the ‘20s. And that’s nice,” said Vester. Today, as patrons walk through the entry fountain at the Venetian Pool, they are reminded of its rich history through photographs of smiling swimmers from a roaring decade long ago. 81 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MARCH 2015 The Aquifer that Keeps on Giving Compiled by Amy White, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® In the 1920s, GeorgeMerrick dreamed of creating a city with features like grand entrances, plazas, and Mediterranean- style homes in Coral Gables, Florida. His idea was put to work, and a quarry pit in the area provided limestone for the elaborate structures. Through Merrick’s efforts, along with his artist and architect friends, the quarry was fashioned into the Venetian Pool which originally opened as the Venetian Casino in 1924. In its early heyday, the Venetian Casino was a hot spot for high-society people of the era. Movie stars l ike Esther Williams and Johnny Weismuller of Tarzan fame appeared at the pool to large crowds. Today, residents and tourists are still enjoying the cool water of the Venetian Pool. It is the only swimming pool listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Carolina Vester, the pool aquatics supervisor, said she enjoys her job “be- cause there’s always something new happening every day.” Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the operation is what takes place behind the scenes when visitors go home for the night. The pool bottom is cleaned every evening, but before this can be accomplished, workers wait about four hours for over 800,000 gallons of water to drain from the pool. Injection wel ls rapidly push water down the drain and out through coral rock and limestone below, which filter the water as it makes its way back to the Biscayne Aquifer from whence it came. The daily process is an effort to conserve water in the aquifer. Before 1989, when the injection well system was installed, water was simply pumped out and wasted. While the pool is being emptied, workers push sand, leaves, and other debris to a depression near the drain. Large pieces of debris are removed, and particle-laden water is pumped out of the pool so it doesn’t go out with water “...it is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” David Steindl-Rast Catholic Theologian