For those not living in areas where pools must get ‘closed’ for the Winter, the question of how to properly dispose of chemically treated pool water probably never crossed your mind… but as Summer draws closer to a close, folks living in cooler climates should ponder the matter.
If simply drained into the streets the water winds up in storm drains which lead sometimes lead to local waterways where the chlorine could cause serious harm to aquatic life.
Draining pool water into sanitary sewer systems — the same ones that handle waste water and toilet water — could cause those systems to get backed up since many do not have the ability to handle large volumes of water.
So… How should I dispose of pool water?
From what we have read, environmental experts and department of public works employees suggest allowing the pool water’s chlorine level to dissipate as much as possible before releasing water into the environment or storm water systems. Make sure to keep the pool water circulating with the pool’s pump/filter during the dissipation process since doing so should aid in making the chlorine dissipation process go a little faster.
How will I know when the chlorine level drops close to zero?
Simple dip-and-read test strips for TOTAL chlorine, not free chlorine, work well and your basic 5-drop OTO pool water test kits work well, too.
