Swimming is fun, it’s relaxing, it’s a way to cool off, and it’s great for exercise but did you know it can also be risky? According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), “493 recreational waterborne disease outbreaks were reported from 2000 to 2014 — causing at least 27,219 illnesses and eight deaths. A third of those outbreaks were traced to hotel swimming pools or hot tubs and this number is on the rise.” When it comes to waterborne diseases the number one most popular disease is Cryptosporidium (also known as “Crypto”), It is a parasite tough enough to survive even in properly maintained pools.

To further this point,

“Crypto causes 58 percent of outbreaks where a germ was identified linked to pools, hot tubs, and water playgrounds and 89 percent of the illnesses. Crypto spreads in pools when someone sick with the parasite has diarrhea in the water and other swimmers swallow that contaminated water. Swimmers and parents of young swimmers play an essential role in preventing Crypto outbreaks. Swallowing just a mouthful of water with Crypto in it can make otherwise healthy kids and adults sick for weeks with watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting.”

If you frequent commercial swimming pools where this is most common the following are ways that you can help prevent it.

• Don’t swim in the pool if anyone is sick or has diarrhea
• Ask about water quality issues and the last time the water was checked
• Don’t swallow the water
• Shower before entering the pool
• Take children on frequent bathroom breaks

How To Remove Cryptosporidium From Pool Water?

In the industry, one of the most popular ways to treat cryptosporidium is by Hyperchlorination. The following are the steps necessary to do this:

1. Close the public pool
2. Raise the free chlorine to at least 20 parts per million (ppm) for 24-30 hours
3. Keep the filtration working during hyperchlorination
4. Backwash the filter after completion of hyperchlorination
5. Allow swimmers to return to the water after time has been reached and water chemistry returns to normal levels

Even though this is the most popular method, Weber Pools offers The Puripool Process which is a mobile filtration system that uses Reverse Osmosis (RO) filtration. RO has the ability to remove crypto and prevents the need to hyperchlorinate. RO filtration will also lower Calcium Hardness, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Cyanuric Acid (CYA), and so much more. We feel that using our mobile filtration system not only removes crypto but also gives your bathers the best water quality to swim in. If you are curious to know more about how we can help or how we can keep your water chemistry with industry standards, contact us today!