How simple kitchen object caused lengthy closure and $20,000 clean-up at Massachusetts swimming pool

A Massachusetts swimming pool has been forced to close at the height of summer after a glass salsa jar smashed sending tiny shards of glass into the water.

Whilst larger pieces of glass were easily able to be fished out, the tiniest pieces of glass were impossible to find and put swimmers at risk. 

It meant the entire pool had to drained and refilled at a cost of $20,000.

A visitor to the pool dropped the glass jar that smashed onto the deck in the corner of the lap pool on July 14 sending bits of broken glass into the pool.

Needham's Park and Recreation Department explained in a posting on Facebook how the Rosemary pool had to be closed together with pictures of the lengthy cleanup process.

The pool's entire 220,000 gallons of water had to be emptied into the town's sewer system and replaced with water from the town's supply.

'The problem is when it smashes, it's glass shards, and the glass shards are what we are concerned about,' Stacey Mulroy, director of Park & Recreation, told The Needham Observer. 

'They can float into somebody's eye or somebody's mouth or into their lungs if they ingest shards of glass. That is a more concerning situation, which is why we go through this very specific procedure.' 

Pool officials reminded bathers that glass of any kind at the pool is banned noting how the entire incident was 'avoidable and unfortunate.'

'We understand that this closure may be frustrating for many, as it is for us,' Needham Park & Recreation said in a statement. 

'We will work as fast as we can while always keeping safety in mind.'

Massachusetts State Senator Becca Rausch wrote on Facebook how the smashed glass led to the pool needing to be drained, cleaned, refiled, rebalance the chemicals and retest for bacteria. 

'The entire community suffers both the loss of our pool and in the purse all because one person decided to bring a jar of salsa to the pool,' Rausch stated.

'Please do not bring glass to the pool. It's not hard to follow this and the other rules. They exist for our collective enjoyment and personal health and safety.' 

There will be no repercussions for the person who dropped the glass jar. 

'This by and large was an accident. This person did not intend to do this,' Mulroy said. 

'It was an avoidable accident, certainly. But we don't seek retribution for anything that's not vandalism. Please just remind people that we do not allow glass at the pool,' she said.