LaMotte Pool Manager Water Quality Handbook - Manual (Page 7)

Water Analysis
Why?
The pool manager’s foremost responsibility is to
maintain a safe recreational environment for the
swimmer. To assure safety, the pool area must be
evaluated regularly for possible sources of injury. To the
inexperienced, a missing “No Diving” sign or an
insufficient level of chlorine in the water may seem
insignificant, but a properly trained pool manager
recognizes that these are serious safety violations which
require immediate attention.
Maintaining proper water quality is an extremely
important part of an overall pool safety program. A
water analysis serves three vital purposes: protecting the
swimmer, protecting the pool, and protecting against
wasteful chemical expenses. In addition. the pool
manager balances the water so it is cosmetically clear
and clean.
Protecting the swimmer
Every public pool is visited regularly by local health
officials who conduct a water analysis while evaluating
the overall safety of the pool area. The health official
and the pool manager share the responsibility of
protecting the swimmer. Cooperating with health
officials to ensure that the swimming facility complies
with state and local regulations is very important. The
pool manager should have a copy of these regulations or
codes and be familiar with them.
To prevent exposure to harmful bacteria, the most
important water quality test is for adequate levels of
sanitizer. Insufficient levels can cause swimmer
irritations which may later lead to severe health
problems. The most common sanitizers used in pool
water are chlorine and bromine. These are used to
prevent bacteria and algae within the pool and will be
discussed later in detail in Chapter 3. The tests for pH
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