SAN ANTONIO – Almost everyone wishes they had a pool to cool off during the Texas summer, but maintaining one is now coming at heftier prices due to the extreme heat.
Keeping all 23 San Antonio City Pools clean is part of Veronica Rodriguez’s job as the program manager for Parks & Recreation. She said staff members have been trained to check the water quality hourly.
“Our pools are tested every hour on the hour from when the staff get there, when our programs happen, any time anybody is in the water — we’re always taking our hourly pool readings,” she explained.
When temperatures hit the triple digits, the city pools can expect high attendance. Once a week, the pools are closed so they can get a deep cleaning.
This summer, it’s a little more costly to keep the pools clean, said Russ Donaldson, COO of Keith Zars Pools.
“That’s because of chlorine. Because it’s so hot, it doesn’t stay in the water very long,” he explained.
Water also evaporates at a faster rate.
“In our pool cleaning business, as the temperatures warm up, our material costs go up,” Donaldson said.
Aside from the weekly pool servicing, he urges customers to check their water quality every other day, especially if their pool is getting a lot of use.