A brine leak in the lines that cool the slabs at the Delaney Arena have forced the closure of the facility.

According to a release from the City of Thunder Bay staff began noticed a significant drop in the amount of brine in the refrigeration system Wednesday. Brine is a fluid that runs through the piping underneath the rink surface that keeps the ice frozen.

“Staff topped off the brine level yesterday, however levels continued to drop,” said Franco Marchese, Manager of Facilities Services in a statement. “Last night the system was fully pressurized and again the levels have dropped by the morning.”

Until the source of the leak is found a definitive reopening date cannot be provided.

City staff and a refrigeration contractor are currently isolating the lines one by one to determine the location of the leak, and once found it will be repaired.

The timing of this couldn’t have come at a worse time as the facility was set to host the Westfort Hockey tournament this weekend, and as a result games scheduled for Delaney have been relocated to Neebing Arena.

“We know that this is frustrating for people who had ice times cancelled or relocated,” said Norm Gale, City Manager in a statement. “City staff moved quickly into action to determine the problem, and we are working hard so that this can be resolved as quickly as possible.”

The City has also moved as many other ice rentals as possible, that were booked between now and November 20th, but ice availability is limited at other city arenas.