Many people will pack their bags to head to a nearby city pool this summer, but there’s a lot of work beforehand that goes into making sure pools are ready to use.
It is the job of the life guards and other city staff to make sure the pools meet all the required standards for the state of Texas.
Jay Ellington, the director of Parks and Recreation, says staff keep the pools up-to-par by vacuuming and skimming pools as needed, and taking hourly measurements of the pH levels and chlorine levels. The measurements are key in making sure the pool water stays clean and sanitary.
Another part of the routine is making sure other areas like the pool deck, restrooms and dressing room area are cleaned on a daily basis.
"We make sure our facilities are very presentable to the public and always clean," Ellington said.
The work doesn’t stop there. City pools also need taken care of during the off-season.
"We do leave our water in our pools over winter," Ellington said. "So when we get back in the spring time, we actually dump them out and re-fill them."
That practice is used to extend the lifetime of the pool.?
For more information about city pools, swim programs, or hours of operation, click here.
