The Webber Natural Swimming Pool in north Minneapolis is back open after it was closed for nearly two weeks because someone threw an unknown substance into the water.

Over the years, the pool has had issues with staying open — usually because of high levels of bacteria in the water — and that’s something the staff at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has been hard at work trying to solve.

Staff say they face new challenges because of just how unique this pool is, the only natural public swimming pool in the United States.

“It’s hard to say what’s coming next because we’ve had a lot of unusual challenges,” said Rachael Crabb, water resources expert with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

Crabb says because the pool is treated using a natural process instead of chlorine, they get plenty of unwanted visitors like waterfowl.

“They’re a big source of bacteria for us,” Crabb said.

But if you take a look around you can see several steps they’ve taken to keep them out like black netting on the fence outside the pool. They’ve also removed nests in the spring. But this summer, it’s the turtles causing problems.

“These turtles were born in old Webber pond and when they are old enough to reproduce they try to come back to where they were born and nest,” Crabb said.

Flooding along Webber Parkway used to be an issue, but they’ve since built a floodwall.

“If that water gets in the pool and the [regeneration area], we would definitely be closed because stormwater is very dirty,” Crabb said.

So why not just convert it to a chlorine pool? Crabb stresses it’s not that simple.

“There would need to be some significant redesign, and it would be a significant cost to do that,” Crabb said.

Crabb agrees it’s no fun closing for high levels of bacteria, but she fully believes the work they put in greatly reduces the days they are forced to close.

“Every year is different and when we find problems we figure out ways to solve them,” Crabb said.

Webber Natural Swimming Pool will shift to modified hours on Aug. 19 and close for the season after Labor Day.

Someone shoved a 78-year-old man to the ground on Monday night near downtown Minneapolis and stole his puppy, and police have released a photo of a person of interest in the case.

Former President Donald Trump’s praise for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz‘s handling of the Minneapolis riots in 2020 has resurfaced amid Trump’s ongoing criticisms of Walz. During a phone call on June 1, 2020, Trump lauded Walz for his response to the unrest following George Floyd‘s murder, as revealed by an audio recording, reported by AP.
Trump’s praise, delivered to Walz and other governors and officials, stood in stark contrast to his current criticisms of the governor.“What they did in Minneapolis was incredible. They went in and dominated, and it happened immediately,” Trump said during the call. The conversation included other top officials such as Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Army Gen. Mark Milley, and Attorney General William Barr.

The recording’s release comes as Walz has been selected as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the upcoming election against Trump and his current ally, JD Vance. The timing of the revelation highlights the shift in Trump’s rhetoric regarding Walz.
During the riots, which followed Floyd’s death at the hands of former police officer Derek Chauvin, Walz mobilized the Minnesota National Guard to restore order. Trump’s subsequent offer of federal assistance was declined by Walz. Trump, in recent remarks, has claimed responsibility for deploying the National Guard, a point he reiterated during a May 2024 fundraiser in St. Paul.
Trump’s campaign spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, defended this revised narrative. “Governor Walz allowed Minneapolis to burn for days, despite President Trump’s offer to deploy soldiers,” Leavitt was quoted as saying. “In this daily briefing phone call with Governors on June 1, President Trump acknowledged Governor Walz for FINALLY taking action to deploy the National Guard.”
In contrast, Trump’s earlier comments from the June 2020 call characterized Walz as “an excellent guy” and praised his quick action to quell the violence. Trump had specifically noted, “Tim, you called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast, it was like bowling pins.”
Walz acknowledged Trump and other officials during the call, thanking them for their guidance and expressing concern over the city’s grief and pain.
The debate over Walz’s response continues as he prepares to campaign alongside Harris against Trump, reflecting broader tensions and shifting narratives from the 2020 crisis.