The Whitby Spa Revealed What Led To Its Pool Contamination & 45 People Are Now Suing

Whitby's Thermëa Spa Village has now revealed what caused a pseudomonas and staphylococcus (or staph) outbreak in one of its pools. The new spa, which opened on October 6, 2022, closed all of its pools on October 14 following a failed safety inspection of its saltwater pool, Källa, by the Durham Region Health Department.

Despite the immediate closure of the pool, many guests who previously visited the spa fell ill, and a lawsuit is now underway, with nearly 50 people suing for damages.

On November 3, the spa released its official audit, which includes a breakdown of what led to Källa's contamination as well as new safety protocols going forward.

"What the audit demonstrates and reports on is failures at every level," Justin Linden, the lawyer heading the lawsuit, told Narcity. "Mechanical failures, design failures, system failures, maintenance failures, inspection failures. This is on top of the Durham Region Department of Public Health's publicly available reports, which indicate failures in testing and record keeping."

"In our 20 years of operation, we have never had an incident like this in any of our pools, and it is our intention to never have an incident like this again," the spa said.

The audit was led by parties such as the corporate team at Groupe Nordik and the pool builder and designer, and includes a consultation with Dr. Roy Vore, a microbial physiologist specializing in recreational water illnesses.

The audit claims that prior to the spa's opening, all nine pools met the Durham Public Health Department safety regulations. However, three factors led to the bacterial outbreak in the Källa pool after its opening.

The first issue was that "a valve on the bromine erosion system failed." The system is the pool's primary source of disinfection, and the valve has now been replaced and a backup system has been installed.

As a secondary safety measure, the Källa pool was also fitted with an ultraviolet disinfectant system meant to destroy any bacteria missed by the bromine. The audit discovered a "flow switch malfunction," which led to the system's failure to perform as expected. The switch has now been replaced.

Lastly, the audit found that the high concentration of salt in the pool "impacted the bromine puck’s ability to dissolve in the water," meaning that it was not acting as a "complete chemical barrier."

The spa revealed "enhanced" safety protocols and an action plan going forward.

The plan includes a chlorine sanitizing system for the Källa pool, the complete draining and sanitization of the pool and its systems, the installation of "a laboratory grade incubator for bacteria testing," an alarm on the UV disinfection system, and more.

On October 27, there were 28 people represented in the lawsuit. Since then, the number has risen, with "more and more people" coming forward. "We're now at 45," Linden said. "Forty-five people who fell ill as a result of attending this spa have now retained us and instructed us to sue."

"Groupe Nordik is committed to transparency throughout this process," the spa said. "We will begin contacting impacted guests today to share the results of our audit firsthand and offer our support. Our team is working hard to implement the changes we have outlined above, introducing a new, unprecedented level of safety for pools in North America."

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.