A nationwide carbon dioxide shortage has prompted the temporary closure of four municipal swimming pools in the city of San Diego, California, city officials announced in a press release.

Citing supply- chain issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the August 22 closures will allow pool maintenance staff to properly service and monitor the nine open pools to remain in compliance with County of San Diego environmental health guidelines for municipal pools.

Carbon dioxide is used to help balance and maintain the pH levels in the pool water. As a carbon dioxide replacement during the shortage, the city’s maintenance crews will be continually applying muriatic acid, a common chemical used in backyard pools, as a safe alternative and will regularly monitor each pool to ensure pH levels are safe for the public. City officials say that current maintenance staffing is inadequate to perform the intensive monitoring at all 14 city pools.

Local swimming pools are far from the only public entities affected by the carbon dioxide shortage, which Service Industry News first reported

This year, you could be the next Pleatco Perfect Pool Guy or Gal. Nominations must be in by September 18, 2022. Enter the contest online at www.pleatco.com/contest-entry. See story on page 15. in its November 15, 2021, issue when some of Hawaii’s public pools were forced to reduce hours due to difficulties finding the gas.

According to Rich Gottwald, chief executive of the Compressed Gas Association, about 70 percent of carbon dioxide produced in the U.S.

pending. is used for food and beverages. The supply chain disruption of carbon dioxide has major food giants, such as Tyson, Kraft, General Mills, and Butterball, scrambling to obtain the gas that is critical to their processing operations.

Gottwald says the trade group anticipates a return of carbon dioxide supplies to normal in mid-to-late