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Swimming pool water testing

Legal regulations concerning water quality in swimming pool facilities have been in force relatively recently. For several years many issues concerning swimming pool water testing were not precisely defined.

This legal status persisted until last year, when in December the Regulation of the Minister of Health (dated 9 November 2015) on the required quality of water in facilities of this type came into force. This regulation was issued in relation to the Act on Safety of Persons in Water Areas (legal act of August 2011).

Our company conducts all tests required by the aforementioned regulation.

Each swimming pool operator is obliged, among others, to carry out such tests frequently enough (which involves taking a sample of water from the pool). The regulation also specifies the methods of analysis and verification of samples. There are also appropriate provisions on the manner of providing information on the quality of swimming pool water. The frequency with which the tests should be conducted depends on the analyzed measurements – e.g. pH of water, chlorine concentration or redox potential should be checked at least every four hours.

Physicochemical and microbiological tests may be carried out only by laboratories authorized.

Basic physicochemical tests

When testing swimming pool water it is very important to determine the proper redox potential, the amount and intensity of chlorine, pH factor, level of iron, ozone, aluminum, nitrates, isocyanuric acid, besides showing a cancerous effect: THM and chloroform. This type of analysis also includes testing of water turbidity and oxidation levels.

Microbiological tests

These tests can be used to ensure that the water is not contaminated with Legionella, Escherichia coli, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Such analyses are also carried out to determine whether the water meets the conditions indicated by specific standards – e.g. regarding the water temperature (which is important for the possibility of multiplying colonies of Legionella).

Testing water quality in swimming pool facilities, particular attention is paid to those parts of the pool which are intended for small children. The ordinance requires facility managers to test water samples more frequently for E. coli bacteria. Oxidation potential is also being checked more frequently. Water from swimming pools for children under three is also tested for staphylococci.