Free Republic

The tiny Greek island of Lipsi that banned the creation of swimming pools due to their environmental impact, is expected to reach 100 percent occupancy in August. Loyal to the mission of offering an unspoiled natural paradise to its visitors, Lipsi recently made headlines for making the case against artificial swimming pools, whose construction on the island is rejected and discouraged by the local authorities and tourism professionals, in favor of a more environmentally-aware approach to sea and sun vacations. And holiday-goers seem to be appreciating the effort, judging by the latest data. “The response of tourists to our call...

Paris (AFP) – French sports and education groups expressed outrage Tuesday at the closure of around 30 swimming pools, after their operator said surging heating costs made them no longer viable. “These closures directly impact all children and adults who won't be able to learn to swim," the French Swimming Federation (FFN) said in a statement, demanding the pools' "immediate" reopening. Vert Marine, which operates pools and ice rinks across France, said Monday that its annual energy bill had jumped to 100 million euros ($99 million) from 15 million euros -- a figure it said equalled "the company's entire annual...

On the verge of Memorial Day weekend, people are asking whether they’re safe from COVID-19 as they cool off in the ocean or pool. text, letter: A sign at the YMCA pool in Hollywood displays precautionary COVID-19 swimming rules, Wednesday, May 26, 2021.© Joe Cavaretta / South Florida/Sun Sentinel A sign at the YMCA pool in Hollywood displays precautionary COVID-19 swimming rules, Wednesday, May 26, 2021. Lifeguards and swim coaches are getting questions like this one from Erica Garcia of Fort Lauderdale: “Is it safe for my unvaccinated child to go into a public pool?” A new online survey of...

The worst chlorine shortage the country has ever seen is set to rock this summer’s pool season. “It’s been a concern for us,” said Cody Saliture, owner of Texas Pool Professionals, which has been in business for 17 years. The Rockwall, Texas-based company services 200 clients weekly, and Saliture said he recently began to stockpile chlorine tablets. He’s also been looking for different chemicals to keep pools sanitized and his customers happy. “We’re looking for anything that we can get that we don’t have here in North Texas,” Saliture said. “We’ve been to about six states and 15 cities [for...

A shortage of chlorine could have a significant impact on public and private pools this summer. The shortage comes amid a surge in demand for chlorine tablets as homeowners and municipalities begin to prepare their pools for the warm summer months. “It’s probably going to be in short supply this summer,” Pat Allman, general manager of Tampa-based Odyssey Manufacturing, told the Miami Herald. “You’re going to go to your local pool store, and they’re going to be out for a day or two. It’s not going to be all gloom and doom. You just might not shock or clean or...

Children attending summer camp and swimming pool recreation programs this summer will be required to wear face masks and social distance as part of the Wolf administration COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration on Tuesday issued updated COVID-19 guidance for summer camps, essentially reinforcing health and safety protocol for summer camps, youth summer programs, and public swimming pools. The guidance essentially remains unchanged for the upcoming year. Staff and children age 2 and older must wear face coverings during child care and summer program activities. Children will be permitted to remove their face masks when they are eating or...

I live in Arkansas and have been waiting to hear if our community, public swimming pools and aquatic centers will open this year. Well the other day the state released rules for opening the pools on the latter part of this month. Among the rules, only 50% of capacity allowed, families can sit together, social distancing for all others, this next point is confusing, it seems they want social distancing in the pool. In addition all surfaces must be wiped today on a regular basis, bathrooms, snack bar, and all railings, etc. My opinion is that you are out in...

Do you want to know how much pee you're swimming in? A scientist at the University of Alberta has some answers for you. (Those who wish to remain blissfully ignorant, keep scrolling.) So, do you still want to know how much pee is in a pool? Well, assuming you’re swimming in a standard eight-lane, 25 yard pool, which holds approximately 220,000 gallons of water, you’re also swimming in about 20 gallons of urine. Your best friend’s backyard pool, which likely measures around 20 feet long by 40 feet wide at about five feet deep, probably contains “only” two gallons of...

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump remained all tied for the fourth straight day, 44% to 44%, despite continuing revelations surrounding the FBI's investigation into Clinton's emails and a possible "pay for play" scandal at the family Clinton Foundation, according to the latest IBD/TIPP presidential tracking poll. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson gets 5% in the poll, while Green Party standard-bearer Jill Stein remains stuck at 2%. In a head-to-head matchup excluding the third-party candidates, Hillary leads Trump 46% to 43.4%. A day earlier, Clinton stood at 45% to Trump's 43.8%. With just three days until Election Day, Clinton holds a 44.2%...

There’s something in the water in Rio — and it’s getting worse. The Olympic diving pool was closed Friday morning as the water continues to be a disturbing, murky shade of green. The concern for those who have been diving into the pool has grown as the problem persists.~SNIP~Some have speculated algae in the warm outdoor pool could be the issue, while The Sun has helpfully ruled out “excessive pee” as a potential source of the change. A spokesman for the International Swimming Federation told the Los Angeles Times there was a chemical issue with the tanks, though that would...

I have a water feature I care for at work. This feature has an algae problem. I have put in ridiculous quantities of chlorine and acid with little effect. I believe the problem is due to a compost in the landscaping that is blowing into the feature. I think the compost is high in phosphate and is causing the resistant algae. The chemical store recommends a product that has lanthanum chloride hydrate. I need to know if this is harmful to animals as the owner's dog drinks and goes into this feature. Also, the feature drains into a cow pasture....

According to the Centers for Disease Control, drowning is the leading cause of death for kids 1-4 years old and is the second-leading cause of unintentional deaths for kids 1-14 years old. As many as 5,000 kids 14 years old and younger are hospitalized each year due to drowning-related incidents, 20 percent of whom suffer lifelong neurological disabilities. Wow. And Mr. Obama has worked overtime to convince Americans that kids are being slaughtered with guns.

There's poop in public pools, according to a new report. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found genetic material from E. coli bacteria in 58 percent of public pools they tested during the summer of 2012. This shows that "swimmers frequently introduced fecal material into pools," which could spread germs to other people, the researchers wrote in their report. E. coli bacteria are normally found in the human gut and feces. They also found genetic material from bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, whichcan cause skin rashes and ear infections, in 59 percent of pools. The fecal material...

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Owners and managers of swimming pools at hotels, city recreation centers and public parks are scrambling to install mechanical chair lifts to comply with new federal requirements that all public pools be accessible to disabled swimmers. Some hotels fear the cost of the equipment or fines for noncompliance could put them out of business, and an industry lobbyist says others may close their pools this summer if they can't upgrade in time, though the government can offer more time to those having trouble paying for it. Swimmers with disabilities say the changes are overdue. "I couldn't...

Many hotels are faced with making improvements to pools by Thursday or falling out of compliance with the latest accessibility laws for disabled people. Hoteliers must have pool lifts to provide disabled people equal access to pools and whirlpools, or at least have a plan in place to acquire a lift. If they don't, they face possible civil penalties of as much as $55,000. There are about 51,000 hotels, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and most have pools. The lifts are required by regulations made in 2010 stemming from the Americans With Disabilities Act, a civil rights...

Bob is quite the dog. He's becoming known for his spiral stunt to the bottom of his owner's pool, pawing and clawing and paddling his way down to the depths, and then coming up for air with his prized toy in his mouth. "He's Bob, and we've named him Bob the Amazing Diving Dog," said his owner, Kristie Navarrette. Her family took Bob in as a stray four years ago. Bob's unique trick became known to the family one summer afternoon when the pooch was poolside with his plastic toy. "I was floating one day in the pool and he...

A Muslim family was wrongly denied access to an aquatic center in Lyons last summer when employees told them their clothing violated the facility's rules, state officials said Friday. In August 2009, Mahmoud Yaqub took his wife, Faten Alaraj, and two young sons to Cermak Family Aquatic Center, 7600 W. Ogden Ave., which is run by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. - A town on New York's Long Island is using Google Earth to find backyard pools that don't have the proper permits. The town of Riverhead has used the satellite image service to find about 250 pools whose owners never filled out the required paperwork. Violators were told to get the permits or face hefty fines. So far about $75,000 in fees has been collected. Riverhead's chief building inspector Leroy Barnes Jr. said the unpermitted pools were a safety concern. He said that without the required inspections there was no way to know whether the pools' plumbing, electrical...

What used to be just tar balls are now pools of oil on Pensacola Beach. (06/28/10)

The scariest pool in the world, 55 stories above ground The "Sands Skypark" in Singapore is a pool, greenway and casino with an usual location. The whole thing sits atop not one, but three skyscrapers that make up the Marina Bay Sands hotel. The infinity pool itself is nearly 500 feet in length and features no discernible edge. So what would happen if you swam over? Don't worry, you wouldn't just plummet to the streets below. Instead, you'd fall where the rest of the water does: a basin that also acts as a filter for the water and sends it...