"We're always interested in ways to be more energy efficient," said Mark Wagner, director of Recreational and Community Services for the city of Los Alamitos. "And, we're looking at a minimum of $5,000 in energy savings each year [from the boiler retrofit]. Especially with the budget impacts we're all facing, these are the kinds of numbers that mean a lot."

Located on the grounds of the Joint Forces Training Base (formerly the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station), the pool was built in 1942 for training World War II pilots in ocean survival techniques. Because of the pool's size, it also became a part-time training and competition site for water polo.