Get the Facts:
Swimming Pools Save Water in Droughts. (This includes Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs)
California is facing unprecedented drought conditions. Pool and spa owners and industry representatives are doing their part to conserve.
The pool and spa industry is an important part of our state’s economy. From the tens of thousands of small business owners and employees to the millions of dollars in economic output, the pool and spa industry helps keep California solvent.
- Pool construction alone employees hundreds of local residents, requires permit fees and employee payroll taxes be paid, which all help to stimulate local economics.
- In fact, recent studies suggest the local economy receives $1 million per acre foot of water used to fill a pool.
Districts should not pass restrictions that affect just one industry.
When water districts propose regulations affecting just pool and spa owners, they are promoting a policy that will adversely impact just one industry. From builders to suppliers to maintenance workers, the pool and spa industry is composed of local small, often minority-owned, businesses. Imposing such industry-specific regulations will put hundreds of local workers out of business and mean less money for local governments that rely on money from building permits.
Focus on education, not restrictions.
The California Pool and Spa Association will provide information that can be shared with customers to ensure they are responsible pool and spa owners. Like many in the industry, CPSA’s members are offering incentives for customers to use pool covers and provide leak checks at a discounted rate. CPSA has developed educational materials on reducing water splashing, adjusting equipment settings and other tips for responsible pool and spa ownership. The pool and spa industry is part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Swimming Pools Save Water
Pool and spas are not water wasters. In fact, a well-maintained pool or spa used less water per day than an irrigated lawn. Most pool designs include more than just the pool itself; wooden or concrete decks also replace traditional landscaping and the need for water.
- Filling pools takes up only a tiny fraction of a region’s one-day water usage. A recent study in the Sacramento region showed filling all new pools would result in less than five percent of one day’s water use for the region.
- Independent studies shows that a well-maintained pool used roughly half the amount of water a lawn uses in the same period. Adding in decking and other “hardscaping” around the pool, spa or hot tub increases waters savings even more!
- Even building and filling a new pool requires less water than a lawn. On average, water use, including filling, in the first year a pool is installed is 26,250 gallons. An 800 square-foot lawn uses approximately 30,000 gallons per year.
- Average water savings for first year (including filling the pool): 3,750 gallons
- Average water savings for subsequent years: 18,000 gallons
For more info how swimming pools save water, visit www.theCPSA.org
