The type of experience people have swimming in public pools depends on the facility and its maintenance. Public pools are major expenses, and cash-strapped municipalities sometimes sacrifice pools in hard economic times. Sadly, the only alternative for swimmers when public pools close is a potentially expensive membership at a private pool or gym, or open-water swimming when the weather and location permits.
Function
A primary function of public pools is to provide recreation and health benefits to the residents of a town or city. People pay lower fees to use public pools than they do to use private facilities. Everybody is welcome at public pools; private country clubs sometimes have memberships offered by invitation only. Public pools function to make the once-elite privilege of swimming available to all. They also serve the important function of teaching swimming to kids and helping prevent drowning accidents.
Types
Outdoor public pools provide seasonal recreation in cold-winter climates; in warm areas, patrons enjoy outdoor swimming all year. Indoor pools protect swimmers from inclement weather, but also need excellent ventilation to keep the air healthy. The majority of public pools use chlorine and bromine to disinfect the water, but some indoor pools use supplemental ozone treatments to help reduce the amounts of chemicals needed.
Facilities vary, but the largest public pools are "Olympic" size, and measure 50 meters long. Shorter, 25-meter pools take up less space and are cheaper to build and maintain. Other types of public pools found in aquatics centers include deep diving pools, shallow child or recreational pools, and warm-water therapy pools.
Benefits
Health benefits public pools provide include cardiovascular fitness, diabetes prevention, arthritis relief and weight regulation. Public pools also provide social outlets for people of all socioeconomic levels. The Americans With Disabilities Act mandates standards to ensure that disabled patrons have access to public facilities. Patrons can often choose among available options such as youth or adult swim teams, aerobic classes and parent-infant swim sessions. Public swimming pools today integrate all races and ethnic groups; historically, African Americans were forced to swim separately from whites.
Safety
Minimizing health risks from any public facility where crowds gather, and pools in particular, takes vigilance and training on the part of the staff. In the past, health scares such as the polio epidemics of the 1950s closed public pools for entire seasons. Health officials now believe chlorinated pool water played little role in the spread of the enterovirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
Pool staff must test water repeatedly for adequate amounts of chlorine, bromine and other disinfection agents and must clean and maintain pool filters. Routine cleaning of locker rooms helps prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Trained lifeguards watch over the swimmers to prevent drowning or accidents due to unauthorized diving or rough play in the pool and on the deck.
Considerations
Public pools are sometimes crowded and noisy. Dressing rooms and facilities might be spartan in comparison with luxury club environments. Despite pool managers' best efforts to minimize the side effects of water treatment, some people experience skin, eye and lung irritation when they swim in public pools.
References
- "Contested Waters"; A Social History of Swimming Pools in America; Jeff Wiltse; 2007
- United States Master Swimming Swimmer: The Healthy Swimmer: Coping With Chlorine Reactions
- United States Access Board: ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities
- Los Angeles City Lifeguard Association: Pool Lifeguard Training
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Seasonal Variation in Host Susceptibility and Cycles of Certain Infectious Diseases
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