Research and evaluation of water quality in outdoor swimming pools

Institiute of Water and Wastewater Technology, Silesian University of Technology, ul. Konarskiego 18, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland

^* Corresponding author: anna.lempart@polsl.pl

Abstract

The article presents the assessment of the quality of water in outdoor pools, based on the results of bacteriological and physicochemical tests and their comparison with the admissible values in this respect. The analyzes were carried out during two bathing seasons, in 2017 and 2018. The quality of water from sports, recreational and children's pools was analyzed, as well as water introduced into the pools from the circulation systems. The decisive role in the assessment of pool water quality is played by the results of microbiological tests and the assessment of the sanitary condition of the facility. In pool water and circulatory water samples, the number of indicator microorganisms (CFU) did not exceed the limit values. The problem was the very high levels of chloroform (> 0.03 mg/L) and THM (> 0.1 mg/L), lower than the required redox values (750 mV) and nitrate content, increasing over the bathing season. Considering that the analyzed pools are seasonal and recreational outdoor pools, the observed excessive concentrations of DBP, with a short exposure, did not pose a direct threat to the health of bathers. However, they indicate the need to supervise the processes of water treatment and disinfection or their modernization.