Overwhelming results and savings
By the end of the season, HPAC lowered its traditional operating, chemical and water costs and increased revenues. For instance, the City of St. Paul saved $36,000 in chemical costs over the previous year ($78,000), as well as $40,000 in staff overtime costs.
Previously, the pool maintenance crew accumulated many hours of overtime dealing with daily problems. These savings were a result of not having to hyperchlorinate the water or close the pool due to water issues.
The need to backwash the filters three times a week was also reduced, as the pools were able to be backwashed via pressure differential. By the end of the season, backwashing was required on a bi-weekly basis, which further reduced the city’s water costs.
The installation of the Sphagnum moss system also proved to be an effective marketing tool for HPAC. When the experiment was made public by the city’s mayor in mid-August, the ensuing media coverage and word-of-mouth referrals drove an increasing number of swimmers to the facility during the final weeks of the outdoor swim season. As a result, the city realized a $100,000 increase in pool revenues.
Samantha Luedke handles sales and marketing for Creative Water Solutions (CWS), a developer of natural water conditioning products in Plymouth, Minn. Prior to joining CWS, Luedke served as a laboratory technician for seven years with Embro Corporation, a biomedical research and development company. She can be reached via sluedke@cwsnaturally.com.
