The pool staff and I (Pool Manager Barb Aimone) were very concerned upon reading the negative Facebook posts regarding the chlorine levels at the KJSHS pool. We comprised this list of facts and helpful information to hopefully answer any questions had by our patrons. In the future, it is our hope that anyone having questions or concerns would give us a call or come by for a visit. We are happy to explain our procedures and let you look at any of our data that we keep daily about the chemistry of our water.  Many of the comments on the very public Facebook posts were inaccurate and stem from a lack of information.  After reading those posts, people never having visited our pool would think it a terrible place when actually we receive IDEAL ratings monthly from the Health Department.  We are very proud of the health of our pool. I swim daily myself and have done so for years. 

1. On average, 690 people use our pool weekly. This number more than doubles during the summer. 

2. We have several groups using the pool daily:  high school swim team, middle school swim team, cut-throats swim club, water aerobics class, grade school swim lessons, individual lap swimmers and we are open 3 nights a week for open swim. 

3. Because such a large number of humans use our pool, sanitation is a must.  All of the additives we put into the water are for the express goal of sanitation:  prevention of bacterial and algal colonies.   Imagine if all these people swam in the water and no sanitary actions were taken.  When a human being gets into the pool, they may bring many additional invisible particulates with them:  body lotion, makeup, hair spray, hair gel, perfume, mascara, soap residue, laundry detergent residue, deodorant, dirt, etc.  You get the picture.

Chlorine is the main agent that binds with these particulates brought into the water with the swimmer.  The chlorine binds with the particulates to make molecules called chloramines, the chloramines are then filtered out through our filter system and subsequently washed away into the sewer.  We have absolutely zero bath tub ring because our system is extremely efficient.   

4. Come look at our water.  It is sparkling and clear.  We are examined by the Health Department monthly and they grade our water chemistry on 8 features. Last week we got an IDEAL rating. This meant that our water was perfectly balanced and completely safe. 

5. We, the staff, test our water three times daily and record our findings. We call these findings our Readings. We use the Readings to determine if we need to add sanitary products. I also test the pool water weekly using a format called a Saturation Index.  The Saturation Index tells us if all of our chemicals are properly balanced and if we need to add chlorine.  All of the amounts of additives are determined by mathematical formulas. Additives are not introduced into the water in an arbitrary manner. All additives are measured, and added to the water according to strict regulations. 

6. Unfortunately, some human beings may have sensitive skin and may feel dryness, tenderness or itching after swimming. We regret that any of our swimmers may be uncomfortable. However, we cannot reduce our sanitary practices. For swimmers with sensitive skin, showering after swimming is a must.  There are also many good products on the market for folks with sensitive skin. I would suggest taking the advice of the swimmers on the Facebook post who use the sensitive skin products, or ask a doctor for some suggestions. 

7. We do instruct our grade school swimmers to shower after swimming. If your child has sensitive skin, please send them to the pool with extra soap or lotion or whatever you deem necessary to help your child feel better. We love our little swimmers and enjoy seeing them each day. We do not want them to feel uncomfortable. However, none of our little swimmers have expressed concern to us. 

8. In addition to the above-listed sanitary actions we also wash the pool deck each morning and disinfect it weekly with Quat 128.  We used to disinfect the deck and locker rooms daily but the disinfectant was dissolving the cement and grout.  We wash our locker rooms each evening with bleach water and disinfect the locker rooms weekly with Quat 128. 

9. The community could help us by removing their shoes before walking onto the deck and into the locker rooms, but very few community members feel the need to comply with this sanitary measure.

10. In addition to our daily numbers of patrons using the pool, we also host swim meets.  Small meets may consist of 20 swimmers or so, but larger meets may consist of 100 to 200 swimmers.  On average we host one to two swim meets per month.   It is imperative that we keep up with our sanitary practices during those situations. 

11. One last thought: on average, monthly, our Saturation Index (SI) tells us that we may need to superchlorinate. 

This means that there is not enough free chlorine to bind with the particulates to create chloramines. This, then, requires that we add a full mathematically-determined dose of chlorine. 

We have approximately 365,000 gallons of water to keep clean. We only add the superchlorinate dosage on Friday evenings after open swim.  This gives the pool the weekend to absorb the chlorine and distribute it evenly by the filtration system.  The pool water is filtered completely, every 6 hours; in other words four times in one twenty-four hour period of time.    

I am very proud of our pool.

I swim daily myself, and believe swimming is one of the best physical activities to keep human beings healthy and strong.   

We want swimmers to come and enjoy swimming in an expertly cared for facility. 

If you have questions and concerns, please do not hesitate to call or stop by for a visit.   

Sincerely,

Barbara Aimone, Pool Manager