Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation is using a liquid water additive called Solar Shield to keep city pools and splash pads open this summer while conserving water.
Solar Shield reduces evaporation in pools and splash pads. It is available for purchase on Amazon and can be delivered within days.
Robert Dodd, director of Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation, said the product is safe for the public.
"We use it at our water gardens, we use it at our pools."
Dodd said the product is food-grade and has been in use across city facilities since last year.
"And it's a food grade... it's safe for everybody. It gives us the opportunity to save some water."
The National Pool and Hot Tub Alliance introduced the concept to Dodd's team a couple of years ago.
"And we looked into it and it was a great idea to put that in to stop that evaporation," he said.
After implementing Solar Shield last summer, all of the city's pools and splash pads used about 2 million gallons of water over 70 to 80 days. That covers the weekly operation of 7 public pools and 5 splash pads that are open on weekends. The daily average works out to roughly 25,000 to 30,000 gallons.
"The pools are open during the week. It's only the splash pads that are open during the weekends. When the pools are not in use for an extended period of time, we would put those pool covers on."
Dodd said his team will continue taking steps to conserve water regardless of how conditions change.
"We always gotta be mindful of water whether we get full lakes tomorrow or next week... which would be a blessing for sure. We're going to continue to conserve and continue to monitor the water we use because we understand it's such a valuable asset."
Corpus Christi pools and splash pads open Saturday, May 30, and run through August 9.
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