Pine Bluff reopens aquatic center as investigation into whirlpool drowning continues

Pine Bluff reopened its aquatic center after nearly two weeks of closure while the city continues to investigate the drowning of an elderly woman at the facility on June 10, the broadcast reported.

The city's report said staff found the woman unresponsive in the whirlpool, police and EMS performed CPR and she was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The Arkansas Department of Health inspected the facility and identified that the whirlpool lacked a flow meter to measure circulation and that alkalinity levels were too low; follow-up reports said the alkalinity issue has been corrected. The report said there is no indication those issues caused the drowning, and the city investigation will continue.

The broadcast said the police department told the reporter the city is taking the lead in the probe because the facility is city-owned; officials did not provide a final determination on cause during the segment.