Closed for six months due to a chlorine leak, Etoy's Gymnase pool crystallizes tensions between the canton and communes

The swimming pool at the Gymnase d’Etoy has remained still and silent for nearly six months, its waters immobile behind glass. Closed since December 12, 2025, following a chlorine leak that injured three people, the facility no longer welcomes students or swimmers. The incident prompted the canton to commission an expert assessment to determine the necessary repairs for its restoration.

The estimated cost for this operation now stands between 2.8 and 3 million francs. However, as the process advances, a critical question looms: who will bear the financial burden? This debate is currently engaging the Grand Council, neighboring municipalities, and various figures in Vaudois sports. The technical issues are overshadowed by a peculiar situation: the canton, as the pool's owner, is clearly reluctant to solely fund its future.

Meanwhile, Morges Natation, the club that typically operates the pools, laments that "despite the steps taken, the conditions necessary for the pool's reopening are still not met." They add that "the measures put in place to allow training to continue are neither coherent nor viable in the long term." This stalemate leaves the future of a vital community facility uncertain, highlighting tensions between cantonal and communal responsibilities.

The prolonged closure not only impacts the swimmers and students who rely on the facility but also raises broader questions about shared infrastructure management and financial responsibility in the region. The situation at Etoy underscores a growing challenge for public facilities, where aging infrastructure meets complex funding models and inter-cantonal or inter-communal disputes.