Frequently Asked Questions

Fecal contamination of pool water: Every pool will have a fecal contamination as some point. Your local Health Department determines treatment of a fecal contamination. At SwimAtlanta, we abide by those policies established by local Health Departments and the procedures adopted by the CDC.

To make things easier for everyone to understand, we have use the following policy:

1. The contamination is removed from the pool.
2. The chlorine in the pool's water is raise to 10 parts per million.
3. The pool remains closed a 24-hour period from the point when the chlorine was raised.
4. It becomes safe to swim after all potential water borne threats have been eliminated and chlorine levels drop to acceptable levels.

Note: Wading pools are drained, cleaned, refilled and the water re-balanced.

For more information on how to avoid fecal contamination and other related issues, please go to www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming.

Pool facility phones and 911 policies: You local health department requires that your pool has a dedicated hard wired phone line for emergencies at your pool. When this phone becomes unusable or the phone line is inoperable the pool should be closed until the situation is resolved.

Some county health departments will allow a dedicated cell phone to be used in place of the hard wired phone temporarily.

Pool parties: Most neighborhood pool parties are a fun way to get bring your community together or celebrate a special event. We provide lifeguards to parties at pools the SwimAtlanta manages. We do require a two week advanced notice, and during active parties days such as 4th of July we cannot guarantee that we can find an available lifeguard. During these busy times it is important to book as early as possible. We also reserve the right to refuse to Lifeguard parties where the circumstances do not provide a safe or appropriate setting for members of our personnel. Please see Pool Party section of this site for more information.

Chlorine: The ideal chemistry levels in the pool water when the pools are open for use:

Free Chlorine 2.0 PPM to 3.0 PPM
Ph 7.2 – 7.6

Germs can be killed by chlorine, but some germs are not killed right away. Even the best maintained pools could spread disease. For this reason, it becomes necessary to close a pool for treatment if there is a fecal accident in the pool.

Other pool chemicals: In addition to Chlorine other chemicals are needed to help sanitize, control swimmer comfort and maintain the pools equipment. Some of these chemicals are Calcium Chloride, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cyanuric Acid, Muriatic Acid, Algaecides and water clarifiers.

Your Board of Health: We work with all local health departments to make sure your pool is up to current standards for the age and type of facility. Our policies and procedures meet or exceed your local code standards.

We also get the pool ready for the initial inspection and meet with the county official during the inspection to make sure every goes well.

When you have questions or concerns: When ever you have questions or need help with anything please contact us a soon as possible. During the summer months we are open 7 days a week and we are also on call 24 hours a day. Please see our contact page for phone numbers and e-mail addresses.