The Need

Our Community Is Underserved

The Lower Snoqualmie Valley is home to over 15,200 residents who lack convenient access to public aquatic facilities. Our communities—Duvall, Carnation, and the surrounding rural areas—are geographically isolated from existing pools and recreation centers.

The Communities We Serve

Our service area encompasses:

These residents currently face significant barriers to accessing aquatic recreation and swim education—barriers that disproportionately affect working families, seniors, and those without reliable transportation.

The Drowning Crisis

Drowning is preventable, yet it remains a leading cause of death for children and a significant risk for all ages. The statistics are sobering:

Our region’s beautiful rivers, lakes, and waterways are both an attraction and a risk. Without access to formal swim instruction, too many residents—especially children—never learn the life-saving skill of swimming.

The Swim Education Gap

The demand for swim lessons in our area far exceeds the supply:

• Over 1,000 residents are currently on waitlists for Learn-to-Swim programs
• The nearest pools are oversubscribed and difficult to access
• Working families cannot easily transport children 30+ minutes each way for lessons
• Many children in our community never learn to swim

Research consistently shows that formal swim instruction significantly reduces drowning risk. By bringing swim education closer to home, we can save lives.

Geographic Isolation

Unlike urban and suburban communities, our rural area lacks the infrastructure that many take for granted:

• No public pool within our service area
• Limited public transportation options
• Long commutes to existing facilities
• Weather challenges that make travel difficult during winter months

This isolation creates inequity. Families who can afford the time and resources to travel to distant pools have access to aquatic recreation; those who cannot are left without.

Beyond Swimming

An aquatic and recreation center serves far more than swimmers:

• Seniors benefit from low-impact aquatic exercise for joint health and mobility
• Physical therapy patients recover faster with aquatic rehabilitation
• Mental health improves through exercise and community connection
• Youth development is supported through structured programming
• Community bonds are strengthened when neighbors have a place to gather

The Time Is Now

Previous attempts to bring an aquatic center to our area have not succeeded. But the need has only grown:

• Our population continues to increase
• Climate change brings hotter summers, increasing demand for cooling recreation
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of local community resources
• Our community has demonstrated strong support for this initiative

We have an opportunity to create something lasting—a facility that will serve generations to come.