Looking to take an outside dip this summer? With the few outdoor pools that exist in Vancouver, you might have to travel pretty far to reach one.

But now, the Vancouver park board is actively searching for a remedy. After receiving a staff report on the situation, Monday’s (July 26) board meeting moved the city one step closer to establishing “pop-up pools”— a temporary local lagoon for the swimming-inclined.

The pop-up pools hope to provide, as stated in the board’s release, a “swimming experience to residents without easy access to a neighbourhood outdoor pool or beach”.

The report pointed to the mobile pools planned for New York’s summer street festival this August, as well as a 20-metre-by-10-metre pop-up pool in Brooklyn Bridge Park that sports its own manmade beach. It also said such pools are easier and cheaper to construct than permanent versions.

Although the board has not settled on an introductory location, you may find a pop-up pool down the block as early as next summer, pending approval and funding.

The staff report referenced VanSplash, the park board’s combination public survey and conversation starter about the future of Vancouver’s outdoor pools and beaches. The board previously passed a motion, at the end of May this year, to fast-track a look into constructing outdoor pools.

The pop-up pools are being floated as a quick-fix suggestion—but they do come with a price tag of an estimated $2 million to build and an annual operating cost of $120,000.

“Demands for swimming in Vancouver is on the rise due to changing demographic trends and new facilities in recent years,” the release concludes. “The on-going VanSplash aquatic strategy consultation will review existing pools and beaches and look at ways to renew or replace aging aquatic facilities through the lens of city-wide equity and service gaps.”

Interested in wading in? VanSplash is hosting a survey on Vancouver's waterworks here.