Swimmers beware

DATABASE: POOL INSPECTIONS

It’s the time of year when the neighborhood pool is teeming with folks cooling off. But is it teeming with something else?

Before jumping in, swimmers should know what’s in the water.

A News & Messenger analysis of more than 160 swimming pools and spas inspected by the Prince William County Department of Health — at places such as apartments, homeowner association facilities, hotels, public parks, condominium complexes and recreation centers — found that 18 percent were shut down at least once and 10 percent multiple times in 2008. Many reopened shortly after correcting the violations.

“People assume that everything is being done to protect them,” said John Meehan, the county’s Environmental Health Manager.

But that’s not always the case, he says.

Pools at hotels, homeowner associations and apartment complexes were the biggest offenders. Of the 160 pools inspected, 17 were shut down multiple times.

Meehan said he isn’t surprised by that number.

“Hotels get to be problematic because the pool operator is usually the maintenance person, and they wear many hats. They can only give the pool so much attention,” he said.

And many HOA and apartment pools are maintained through an outside pool company, which may not give pool the attention it deserves, he said.

“Many [pool companies] hire kids between 18 [and] 22 years old on the most part to do this and it all depends on how responsible they are, if they know the reason why they’re doing it and if they know how important it is,” he said.

Closures typically occur because the water turns cloudy and murky, which means the chemical levels are low. A pool can also close if no pool operator is on site, improper filtration and a missing drain cover, which could trap a swimmer.

Meehan says it can take only a few hours for a pool to go from good to bad.

Sunlight, sweat and tanning lotion can leach chlorine out of the water and cause the water to go out of “balance,” Meehan said.

“I think the optimum operating condition is that the water should be clear and sparkling,” said Meehan.

“If the system is getting taxed and the water is getting cloudy or turbid, that means the pool is not operable and the equipment and the load aren’t in balance,” he said.

To be safe, pool water should contain one- to three-parts-per-million of chlorine and pools used by the public should be tested every two hours to make sure chlorine levels are adequate, Meehan said.

Testing results should be publicly posted, he said.

Meehan’s two inspectors can check out about 15 of the 204 public pools in the county per week.

“We’ll get to them all in the season at least once and hopefully more times depending on what problems develop,” he said.

He said swimmers should be able to see to the bottom of the pool at all times.

Dirty pool water can host several gastro-intestinal bugs, including giardia, Cryptosporidium parvum and shigella, which can cause diarrhea, and pseudomonas, which can cause urinary tract infections, respiratory system infections and dermatitis.

Meehan said he didn’t know of any pools in the area in recent years that had been closed because of any illness outbreaks.

To prevent sickness, people should refrain from swimming when they have diarrhea, avoid swallowing pool water and wash their hands after using the bathroom.

Parents should also make sure they change their child’s dirty diapers.

In addition to cleanliness, inspectors check to see if the pool has the proper safety equipment, such as flotation devices and safety hooks. They also check to see if there is someone around who knows how to run things, Meehan said.

“We want to know if there’s somebody on the premises who knows how the pool is supposed to operate,” Meehan said. “The pool operator is there to see that things don’t get below level and to take action before that happens.”

Health district documents show that most pools in the area are closed because of low chlorination, improper filtration or a lack of proper personnel on site.

Those with concerns about pools should call the county health department at 703-792-6310.

So is your favorite pool sparkly clean, or an illness waiting to happen? Check out our new database of Prince William County pool inspections to find out.