Pool Draining Information

On rainy days, you may have watched water collect, run along the curbside, and be swallowed by a thirsty drain. What you don’t see is all this water making its way through the storm sewer system and then draining directly into the nearest waterway.

Any substance entering the storm sewer system gets released untreated into the bodies of water we use for swimming, fishing, and drinking. We need to consider some of our home practices and the effect it has when we send substances other than rain down the drain.

Swimming pools should be dechlorinated, dibrominated, and pH neutral before they are drained. Chlorine, bromine, and improper pH can be toxic to the plants and animals that live in our waterways.

If you do not add chlorine or bromine to the pool water for several sunny days, the chemicals will break down. Allow a few more days if the weather is cool or overcast. You can purchase a testing kit and tablets to break down the chemicals in the water at a local pool retailer.

LOCAL ORDINANCE PROHIBITS DRAINING POOL WATER TO THE SANITARY SEWER

There are a couple of ways to dispose of pool water:

• Let the chemical free, pH neutral water run over your property and infiltrate into the ground.
• Drain the chemical free, pH neutral water to the storm sewer.

Need to Drain your Pool?(PDF, 334KB)

Always dispose of unwanted pool chemicals properly. Contact your local government agency to find a proper disposal location