Special Two Part Edition: “Drought Mandates” in California and Nevada, tips in dealing with Pool/SPA Water Loss Reduction and Cost Savings
Drought warnings in California have turned into costly fines and steep restrictions. Nevada and Oregon may not be soon behind. These changes are necessary for us to do our part for statewide water conservation. It is up to us to rise to the challenge of meeting these reduction goals while maintaining member satisfaction in a cost effective manner. But the time is now.
The next two editions of the SoapBox are offering you free consulting tools to help you meet water conservation requirements through cost saving measures. This will be information for you to take to an upcoming planning meeting. It is our goal to help help spark conversation and build community by offering in depth information and opportunities to ask questions about what usage and facility management. Ask us your questions here and we will answer them in our next edition.
Until next time…John & Katy
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O
ur Water Savings Expert…
“From conserving to reusing and recycling, we’re safeguarding the world’s most precious resources.” Justin Jones, West Regional Sales Manager (Email)
Q&A: Water Reduction and ROI
Soapbox: I know I need to start saving more water, butTotal Dissolved Solids (TDS) buildup occurs naturally! What can I do?
Justin: TDS do buildup naturally. All dissolved matter added to Pool/Spa water contribute to the increase in TDS, including salt, user waste, wind-borne debris and all balancing chemicals from chlorine to clarifiers. These dissolved solids do not evaporate so naturally will increase in concentration over time. After TDS levels reach 1500 ppm higher than the TDS when the pool or spa was started up, the water will start to look dull or show poor clarity. The only option at that point would be to drain or extremely dilute your pool or spa. By maintaining a balanced pool with the right program and staff training, the time it takes to build up these levels can be greatly extended conserving large amounts of water.
S: I’ve implemented new cost-saving measures into day-to-day pool maintenance operations, but not all my staff seem to understand the process or the importance. How can Certified Pool Operator (CPO) Certifications help?
J: The CPO Certification is a great way to improve knowledge and is required by most health departments for any staff that has responsibly over pool and spa operations. These courses are an in-person class that educates. Combining that with ongoing training and measurement of results, you can easily increase the efficiencies of your operation.
S: What is the best way to test the effectiveness of my facility’s water use reduction plan?
J: Each facility is different in what opportunities may be available to reduce water use. To truly know how effective your plan is, it is very important to understand how to measure water consumption prior to implementing any new procedures. This will give you a base line to come back to and know if your efforts are paying off. Please contact me to hear how similar facilities have improved their bottom line.
S: What are the elements to pool and spa sustainability?
J: That is a good question that I get all of the time. It comes down to reducing your carbon footprint. When I consult with operators, I look at all aspects from water use and waste to the types of chemicals they use. If sustainability is a main focus for someone and let’s say they are using Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach) as their main sanitizer, by changing to a solid Chlorine, we can lower their carbon footprint because we aren’t shipping a product that is 85% water.
S: When will I start to see a ROI?
J: Again, that depends on the type of improvements you are making but some can yield an ROI in the first month. This is mainly due to technology getting cheaper and best practices are more readily available for research.
Please feel free to reach out to Justin for answers to any questions you may have in regards to cost saving pool maintenance procedures or protocols.
Email: justin.jones@ecolab.com
Phone: 208.640.1377
John Mickelson's Soap Box 