Article obtained from the California Pool and Spa Association website.
(SACRAMENTO)—As part of its ongoing Let’s Pool Together campaign, the California Pool and Spa Association (CPSA) announced today the release of its Model Drought Response Plan aimed at providing state and local policymakers with positive ideas designed to achieve water savings related to swimming pools, spas and hot tubs.
“For the last almost two years the swimming pool, spa and hot tub industry has had its back to the wall responding to symbolic water-use restrictions proposed by cities, counties and water districts,” said John Norwood, President of CPSA. ” This model plan allows CPSA to go on the offensive by providing public entities with positive ideas they can implement that are fact-based and will achieve substantial water saving without unfairly targeting the industry.”
Multiple water experts and agencies throughout the state have studied pool and spa water use during the drought and the conclusion is always the same: pools and spas are not water wasters. Despite this fact, CPSA has had to respond to numerous cities and local municipalities in opposition to onerous regulations on the pool and spa industry, including banning construction of and/or filling new or existing pools and spas.
Such restrictions are purely symbolic and do not result in any water savings. That’s because a well-maintained pool, spa and hot tub and surrounding decking use as much water as drought-tolerant landscaping. In most communities, the amount of water it takes to fill all new pools this year would be approximately 1/100 of 1 percent of the city’s annual water use. Such restrictions are also contrary to local municipal codes that require pools to be properly maintained and not left empty due to health and safety issues.
“All public entities are scheduled to update their Urban Water Management Plans this year. As ongoing partners in combatting the drought and increasing water efficiency, we have created a Model Drought Response Plan for addressing pool and spa regulations at various drought stages. These suggested regulations ensure that our industry is not disproportionately affected by regulations while fostering fact-based water conservation steps,” said Mike Geremia, Chairman of CPSA.