Pools and Spas
Preventing runoff from pool, spa, and fountain maintenance activities from entering our streets and storm drains helps protect our waterways from pollution! All sources of pollution, including runoff from pools, spas, and fountains, are prohibited from leaving your property; only rainwater is allowed in the streets and storm drains.
Did you know…
- Routine maintenance of water features generates pollutants such as chlorinated water, algicides and other chemicals. These pollutants can negatively affect our water quality and harm aquatic life.
- To protect waterways, it’s best to dispose of debris from filters in the trash and rinse them in sinks connected to the sewer or over landscaped areas.
- Releasing pollutants directly or indirectly into the storm drain system is a violation of the County’s Watershed Protection Ordinance (WPO).
What can I do?
- Dispose of waste thoughtfully: discharge chlorinated or treated water into the sanitary sewer system to ensure that the chemicals often used in pools, spas and fountains do not enter our storm drains.
- Use Best Management Practices (BMPs): BMPs are techniques or controls used to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants, such as chlorinated water, into the storm drain system. BMPs for pool, spa, and fountain maintenance include discharging water to a landscaped area.
Want to learn more?
The resources below provide suggested BMPs and further information on how to protect our waterways. Click the button to view available languages:
Discharging swimming pool, spa, and fountain water to a storm drain can only be done if the water is dechlorinated, has a pH in the 7.2-8 range, and has no algae or suspended solids.
If you would like to report a pool, spa, or fountain discharge concern, have questions about our program, or would like additional information call the County Storm Drain Pollution hotline at: 1(888) 846-0800 or e-mail us at watersheds@sdcounty.ca.gov
Thank you for doing your part to protect our waterways!
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