Why Should We Be Concerned With Pool, Hot Tubs, And Fountain Water Disposal?
Water from pools, hot tubs, and fountains is NOT just water. Water from these sources often contain additional chemicals that are harmful to creek life and water quality. These additives can include chlorine, copper, algaecides, colored dye, and chemicals/salts. You should never drain your pool water in the street or to a local storm drain system, even if the water is dechlorinated.
Federal, State, and local regulations prohibit discharge of anything but rainwater in the storm drain. Follow the below guidelines to help protect our waterways and avoid fines.
Cleaning
- Never clean a filter in the street, gutter, or storm drain.
- Rinse cartridge filters onto a dirt area and spade filter residue into the soil.
- Keep backwash discharges out of the street and storm drain. Backwash sand and diatomaceous earth filters onto a dirt area. Dispose of spent filter materials in the trash.
- If you don’t have a suitable dirt area, contact your wastewater treatment authority listed on the back of this flier for instructions on discharging to the sanitary sewer.
Draining
- Never drain into a street, gutter, or storm drain.
- Discharge water to a sanitary sewer clean-out.
- If you are on a septic system or have no sanitary sewer clean-out, contact your wastewater treatment authority listed in this brochure for guidance.
Material Storage & Handling
- Store chemicals in a clean, dry, and covered area.
- If landscaping materials are left outside, cover with a tarp or plastic sheeting to protect from urban runoff.
Maintaining
- Clean regularly, maintain proper chlorine levels, and maintain water filtration and circulation.
- Manage pH and water hardness to minimize copper pipe corrosion that can stain your pool and end up in our creeks, the San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean.
- Minimize algae buildup to prevent the need for toxic algaecides.
- Ask your pool maintenance service for help resolving persistent algae problems without using copper algaecides because copper is a pollutant that threatens aquatic life in our creeks, the Bay, and ocean.
Click here to download a helpful information sheet complete with a checklist of items you should be watching for and tips for finding your clean-out.