Swimming pools a challenge in drought

Healdsburg does not allow pools to be filled with local drinking water
It used to be that if you were putting in a new swimming pool, the whole neighborhood suddenly wanted to be your best friend. But that may be changing now that we are in the fourth year of a major drought in California.
Neighbors are being encouraged to report water wasters and new pool construction could draw ire from a neighbor, as it did for one Healdsburg resident, who wrote an exasperated letter to the editor about a new pool.
All around the county “Stage 2” water restrictions are being, or have been, adopted, meaning that pools cannot be filled with municipal water. “I am not aware of any pools going in,” said Healdsburg Mayor Shaun McCaffery, “I believe that our Stage 2 water restrictions have restricted new pool construction from being filled with municipal water.”
Starting in June, cities face fines of $10,000 per day by the state if water use reduction is not on target. Monthly measurements will be used to determine if the reduction in water use is likely to be achieved. The goals differ for each community.
Windsor, for example, has only a mandated 16 percent reduction from the state mainly due to the town being a newer community with more efficient homes. Healdsburg, on the other hand, has a 24 percent goal that needs to be reached.
Gary McDonald, president of Gary McDonald and Son Inc., has put in three pools this year, one each in Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Rohnert Park.
According to McDonald, swimming pool installations slowed down greatly during the recession, since 2008, and the drought is causing that slowdown to persist.
For cities like Healdsburg and Windsor, water must be trucked in to fill a swimming pool, whether it is new or the swimming pool has been drained and needs to be refilled.
According to city officials in both cities, and McDonald, that water is most likely from another municipality that does not have water restriction. Filling a swimming pool with treated water “could probably work,” said McDonald.
But, so far, no one has heard of reclaimed or tertiary water being used to fill swimming pools.
Healdsburg city councilmember Gary Plass is ready to try it. He has a backyard pool, and has stated at council meetings that he would gladly fill it with highly treated wastewater to avoid using drinking water.
Mark Millan, owner of “Data Instincts” (a public outreach and education firm), and Vice Mayor of Windsor, says tertiary treated water is safe. “When you drink water at Disneyland, you’re drinking treated water,” he said.
Although swimming pools vary greatly in size, the average pool, according to McDonald, for Sonoma County requires about 20,000 gallons of water to fill. That’s about three months of indoor water use for the average Windsor household, according to Piazza.
McDonald says the average pool loses about 10 gallons of water per day, mostly to evaporation, which can be minimized with a pool cover. Although water in swimming pools can be treated indefinitely, never needing to be completely replaced, McDonald puts a lifespan on the plaster walls at about 15 to 20 years. Once the swimming pool needs to replastered, a complete drain and refill will be necessary. In rural areas, swimming pools can be more than just a luxury item. New developments are required to have a “scorch tank” that holds 2,500 gallon of water for firefighters to hook up to in areas where fire hydrants are unavailable. A swimming pool owner can run a water line from a swimming pool to a water spigot and avoid having to install a separate water storage tank for firefighters to use.
Officials from Healdsburg did not express any deep concerns about swimming pools being built or filled during the drought. The city has the authority the levy a $1,000 per day fine and even shut off water going to violators. However, efforts to reach out and work with people will be attempted before such action is taken.