Understanding the effects natural disasters can have on pools

The overnight change of make-up water

Today, with water being imported and exported all over the world, it is possible for the make-up of source water to change within hours. In some areas, water is brought in as a supplemental supply from hundreds of kilometres away where the pH, TA, and calcium hardness can differ drastically from the local water source.

Recently, for example, customers in the East Bay area of Northern California noticed a different odour and taste of their tap water. As customers started to complain, the municipality responded by letting customers know that due to the severe drought they needed to bring additional water in from the Sacramento River to supplement their current supply. The officials stated the water brought in had a different make-up from the existing water.

In cases such as this, if the water is not treated properly, it can cause water balance issues in pools. A prime recommendation for pool professionals would be to keep track of the source water by testing from the tap on a regular basis. This will help provide a better understanding of how to treat pool water in a particular area affected by drought.

How fires can affect pool water

Forest fires are occurring more often in various regions across North America and, thanks to humid, dry weather, are becoming much more devastating.

Last month, for example, Fort McMurray, Alta., experienced one of the worst wildfires in Canadian history. It has reached more than 500,000 ha in size, while attempts to extinguish all fires are still ongoing. Record-breaking temperatures (32.8 C [91 F]) combined with low-relative humidity, very little rain, and strong winds have contributed to the fire’s ability to spread rapidly.

Last year, Northern California experienced one its worst wildfire seasons ever recorded. In this case, three major fires were raging simultaneously, encompassing more than 100,000 ha.

How do wildfires affect source water, and pools for that matter? Well, the ash from forest fires can be high in nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates, while one of the main firefighting chemicals dropped from planes contains compounds of phosphate. As a result, these elements make their way into the source water in these regions where pool service professionals may see large spikes in phosphate levels in pool water. Therefore, testing and treating pools for phosphates could be paramount immediately following forest fires. Phosphate removers can be very helpful in these situations.