Is a Swimming Pool Environmentally Friendly?

Chlorine

• Chlorine works to rid pools of harmful bacteria, but the chemical is toxic to other animals and it causes skin and eye irritations in some people. Chlorine tablets are highly concentrated. An alternative that is more environmentally friendly is installing or converting to a salt water pool. These units use small currents of electricity to convert salt into chlorine, allowing the pool owner to stop stocking and handling chlorine tablets. While these pools still use chlorine, the chemical is delivered in more of a steady stream than in bursts from concentrated tablets. Ultraviolet light systems connect between the pool filter and the water line that returns water to the pool. These devices reduce the amount of chlorine byproducts in pool water, and they reduce the amount of chlorine needed to keep the pool clean.

Energy Usage

• Running pool pumps, filtration systems and pool heaters all require electricity. Much of the electrical power in the United States is generated by coal-fired plants. About 67 percent of the sulfur dioxide and 25 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions -- both components of acid rain formation -- come from electrical power generation, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Make sure the pump included with your pool is sized correctly. Too large a pump eats more electricity than necessary whenever the system cycles. The same is true for a pump that is too small for your pool. It must strain to keep up with the pool’s demands.

Evaporation

• Water naturally evaporates from any body of water, including pools. The result is that you must continually add water to your pool in order to maintain the desired level. This practice can be costly in terms of water usage on your utility bill, and it draws from a precious and limited resource. A windbreak -- a tall fence, trees, or shrubbery near the pool -- reduces the effect of wind on evaporation. A pool cover not only helps keep evaporation to a minimum, but it also helps the pool retain heat so that a pool heater need not be run as often.

Natural Pools

• Natural pools use no chemicals, relying on plants and beneficial bacteria to keep the water clean. The swimming end of the pool is typically separate from the plant end, or the plants circle the rim of the entire pool. Water has to move to and from the plants, where it absorbs oxygen and where the beneficial bacteria and decomposers reside. An aerator or waterfall enables water movement, and both features use less electricity than pool pumps and filtration systems.