Water Tower Pool to Remain Closed Due to Lifeguard Shortage

The City of Great Falls regrets to announce that the Water Tower Pool will remain closed for the 2025 summer season due to an ongoing shortage of certified lifeguards. We understand this news may be disappointing to families and residents who value access to this neighborhood facility. However, safety remains our highest priority. This decision is not taken lightly. Under Montana Administrative Rules, certified lifeguards are required to be present and on duty during the operation of any municipally owned or operated swimming pool. The City cannot legally or responsibly open a pool without meeting these staffing requirements. In addition to ensuring compliance with state regulations, lifeguards play a critical role in patron safety, emergency response, and enforcement of pool rules. Despite our best efforts to recruit and retain qualified lifeguards, we have not been able to staff the Water Tower Pool at the levels required for safe operation. One of the ongoing staffing challenges is the seasonal nature of our workforce—many lifeguards are high school or college students who are unavailable for the full summer due to early fall school schedules, family vacations, or other commitments. These mid-season departures of lifeguards make it difficult to maintain consistent, code-compliant coverage throughout the season. Faced with limited staffing and tough choices, the City is prioritizing its available resources to the pools with the highest public use. In recent years, Water Tower Pool has consistently had the lowest attendance among our aquatic facilities, which further informed this difficult but necessary decision. The shortage reflects a broader challenge facing many communities across the state and country. The City of Great Falls is still actively recruiting lifeguards and encourages anyone interested in working as a lifeguard to apply. Certification opportunities and training resources are available. Questions have come up surrounding the idea of having neighborhood pools open for only a few days a week, so the limited number of lifeguards can rotate to whichever pools are open. This arrangement would not be cost effective, as the pools would still have to be maintained on the days of the week that they are closed. Although the Water Tower Pool is closed, several other aquatic facilities are open and ready to welcome swimmers. The Water Tower Splash Park, Electric City Water Park, Jaycee Pool and Splash Park, and Scheels Aim High Big Sky's Splash Park and pools are up and running! These locations are great for cooling off, staying active, and having fun this summer. More information on these facilities is located on the City’s website. We continue to focus our resources on operating our aquatic facilities safely and at the highest standard possible. We appreciate the community’s understanding and support as we work to rebuild our aquatics workforce and restore full service in future seasons.

Water Tower Pool to Remain Closed Due to Lifeguard Shortage

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