logo
    • News
    • Classifieds
    • Free Subscription
    • Book Store
    • Submit
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Submit an Educational Announcement
      • Submit a letter to The Editor
    • Past Issues
    • Regional Trade Shows
    • Testimonials
    • Contact
    • News
    • Classifieds
    • Free Subscription
    • Book Store
    • Submit
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Submit an Educational Announcement
      • Submit a letter to The Editor
    • Past Issues
    • Regional Trade Shows
    • Testimonials
    • Contact
News
May 12, 2022
On April 19, CPSA provided ….

On April 19, CPSA provided testimony at the North Marin Water District Board Meeting, urging a repeal of their ban on filling new pools. Speaking on behalf of CPSA and the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance, John Norwood with Norwood Associates presented facts and information to the District Board about the minimal amounts of water utilized for swimming pools and the low volume overall used by them in comparison to other water usage.

In a letter to the districts, Norwood wrote that the prohibition of pool filling would not make a difference in the water supply issue.

“We are very aware that California is experiencing a severe drought, and water is a precious commodity. However, prohibiting the filling of swimming pools and spas is, at most, a symbolic gesture. Pools use very little water.

However, what this prohibition does achieve is to threaten the very existence of pool builders in the community who have weathered the COVID-19 storm.”

He compared the average water consumed by a car wash and found an inequity favoring car washers versus swimming pool contractors. Meanwhile, the pool industry accounts for $5 billion and 94,000 jobs in the state’s economy in 2020, he wrote.

According to the CPSA, most concerning about this is that a ban on filling swimming pools would be expected in a Stage 4 drought condition, and California is currently under Stage 2 conditions.

The North Marin Water District Board voted to keep their ban in effect.

But California is far from alone in its water woes.

In Las Vegas, the Southern Nevada Water Authority is proposing a limit for residential pools to 600 square feet, which, for pools of an average depth of 5.5 feet, represents nearly 25,000 gallons.

According to Bronson Mack, a spokesperson for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, millions of gallons of water a year could be saved by the change. He said large pools lose a lot of water to evaporation.

“One of the drivers behind that is we have seen very large swimming pools in excess of 1,000 to 5,000 square feet being installed. So, we really don’t have the water supply to continue to support that kind of pool size,” Mack said.

In a state where lawns are literally illegal — last year Nevada passed a law banning ornamental grass and mandating its removal from the Las Vegas Valley by 2027 — proposal to limit residential pool sizes is hardly extreme by comparison.

And it looks like it’s about to get a lot worse.

At Lake Powell, the reservoir created by Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam, the Interior Department is turning down the Colorado River’s flow to Arizona, California, and Nevada. It is an effort to protect the lake from the West’s historic drought.

The Bureau of Reclamation will withhold 480,000 acre-feet of water from Lake Powell in 2022 to prevent the reservoir from dropping so low it can no longer generate electricity.

The Colorado River provides water to more than 40 million people from Colorado to California (a total of seven states), and the withheld water represents a 6.4 percent cut to the annual water delivered to Arizona, California, and Nevada — about as much as Las Vegas uses in a year.

In February 2022, a study was published in Nature Climate Change that details just how dry things have gotten.

To get a sense of how dire the drought is right now, the current “megadrought” that has gripped the U.S. Southwest for the last 22 years is the worst the western U.S. has seen in 1,200 years.

The region hasn’t seen a more severe drought since the start of the scientific record — and it’s probably not over yet.

LATEST NEWS
Pool Hot Tub Alliance takes to the Hill
News
Pool Hot Tub Alliance takes to the Hill
PHTA members, staff met with congressional leaders to discuss swimming pool related issues
May 31, 2025
By Marcelle Dibrell The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) hosted its third annual PHTA Day on the Hill this April as association members went to Washingt...
this is a test
News
Pool techs answer service pricing survey
May 31, 2025
With the summer solstice a couple weeks away and Memorial Day just past, it’s hard to argue that summertime hasn’t arrived, and that means that it’s t...
this is a test
LA pools overwhelmed by mosquitos
News
LA pools overwhelmed by mosquitos
May 31, 2025
Beleaguered residents of the recent catastrophic Los Angeles fires are facing a new public health crisis: Mosquitoes. It was a predictable outcome tha...
this is a test
Hotel pool heater sends 2 to hospital
News
Hotel pool heater sends 2 to hospital
May 31, 2025
A carbon monoxide incident in a Kansas hotel caused by a swimming pool heater sent two guests to the hospital. The DoubleTree by Hilton in Riley Count...
this is a test
BioLab Conyers, Georgia plant closes
News
BioLab Conyers, Georgia plant closes
May 31, 2025
The chlorine manufacturing plant that was responsible for last year’s massive chemical fire in Georgia will not be reopening. BioLab, owner of the Con...
this is a test
MONEY ON THE TABLE
News
DON’T LEAVE
MONEY ON THE TABLE
SIGN UP TODAY & GET THE RIGHT TOOLS
May 31, 2025
DON’T LEAVE SIGN UP TODAY & GET THE RIGHT TOOLS The Fluidra ServicePro rewards program is designed specifically for pool service companies and gives y...
this is a test
Read Our Newsletter
ePaper
coogle_play
app_store
Free Subscription
View Current Print Ads
Educational Announcements
Aquatic Training Institute

Educational Leverage

Foundation For Pool Industry Education

Locey Pool

Pool Chemistry Training Institute

Pool & Hot Tub Alliance

Portofino University

Underwater Pool Masters
Trade Show Dates
  • The International Pool Spa Patio Expo
    Nov. 12-14, Dallas, Texas
  • The Pool and Spa Show
    Jan. 28-30, Atlantic City, New Jersey
  • 35th Annual National Plasterers Conference
    Feb. 26-28, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
  • The Southwest Pool and Spa Show
    Feb. 4-8, Houston, Texas
  • The Western Pool and Spa Show
    Feb. 6-8, Long Beach, California
Books to Order
About Us Terms of Use Privacy Policy
We use cookies to ensure that our website gives you the best experience possible. By continuing to use this website, you agree to this use of cookies.OK