BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Outdoor swimming pools operated by the City of Buffalo have been closed the past three summers due to the pandemic and a shortage of lifeguards. But that’s changing this summer.

Unfortunately, outdoor city pools won’t be opening this week when temperatures will be in the 80s and 90s. But, Mayor Byron Brown announced that many of the city pools will open this summer and they usually open on July 1.

There are seven outdoor pools in the city and two wading pools. The mayor says a good number of the pools will be open, but an exact number has not been determined at this time. All the pools won’t open because the city still does not have enough lifeguards. The pandemic caused a significant drop in the number of lifeguards across the country, an issue many communities are still dealing with.

“We have been extensively recruiting and training lifeguards for the last year and a half two years, we do have a good complement of lifeguards, but we continue to recruit we continue to train but the good news is that pools will be open in the City of Buffalo this year,” Brown said.

In order to open all the outdoor pools, Brown said the city would need to be able to hire 80 lifeguards and they’re just not that at that point yet.

To stay cool in the meantime, the city’s 10 splash pads opened over Memorial Day weekend and they will remain open through Labor Day. There are also two indoor pools. Admission into city pools and splash pads is free.

If you’re still interested in finding a summer job and are interested in becoming a lifeguard, there’s more information through Buffalo PAL and the City of Buffalo.