After years of planning and a little more than a year of construction, the 17,000 sq. ft. Salinas Municipal Aquatic Center has replaced its 1949 counterpart. The Salinas Aquatic Center has incorporated many "green" materials and processes, thus earning a Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The facility has a retractable overhead roof, significant natural lighting, lockers are built from recycled material, and timed lights are energy efficient. Just outside the aquatic center there are three bioswales: patches of compost and sand that filtrates pollution from rainwater before it travels to the ocean.