Pool Industry Threatened Amid SoCal Drought Regulations
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com/AP) — The ongoing drought devastation across Southern California came at a bad time for employees of the pool industry, as they're working to find ways to stay afloat during water regulations.
According to officials, more than three dozen local cities and water agencies are currently cracking down on water use in swimming pools across the state.
"Thirty-seven cities or water districts statewide have implemented some level of restrictions on swimming pools," said Jennifer Persike, spokeswoman for the Association of California Water Agencies.
Residential pools can range in volume holding 10,000 to 30,000 gallons of water, while commercial pools can hold more than 650,000 gallons.
If left uncovered, officials said residential pools may lose around one-inch of water per week due to evaporation.
If covered, water loss can be reportedly cut from evaporation by up to 90 percent.
The problem lies, therefore, in the fact that only about 30 percent of pool owners are currently using covers.
Rules range from requiring pool covers to banning residents from draining and refilling older pools that need repairs.
Alan Smith, owner of Alan Smith Pool Plastering Inc., has drained and repaired about 900 aging pools per year in Orange County.
"They've got a lot of pressure and it's only getting hotter, it's only getting drier," said Smith.
So far, companies report that rules enforced by water districts have not significantly hampered business, however, if dry conditions persist jobs may be affected long-term.
Some further factors hurting business involves shrinking residential pools and construction of large community pools at new housing developments instead of individual pools.
As a result, some pool builders said they are moving into pool repair instead of construction in hopes of keeping their jobs.
"Everybody's concerned," Smith said. "What if the drought goes another three, four, five years? You have to have a contingency plan in place and that's what we're talking about here."
Companies, however, are looking into gigantic plastic bladders as a resolution to hold water that has drained from a pool and allow it to be recycled.
According to Jonathan Volzke, the water district will vote later this month to pull back the ban on filling new pools in Orange County providing that homeowners can show their pool and decking would use less water than traditional turf.
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
