PUBLIC HEALTH

In the Swim Newsletter

April 2025 Spring Issue

Information for commercial pool operators and owners

It's Time for Educational Inspections!

If you are a seasonal pool getting ready to open for 2025, contact us to schedule an educational inspection. These inspections are a training and teaching opportunity with less emphasis on enforcement.

Request an Educational Inspection

Self-inspection Checklist: Are You Ready for Summer?

As we head into the busy swim season, make sure your facility is ready. This self-inspection checklist will ensure you are prepared to open for the season, or for your next public health inspection!

Get the Self-inspection Checklist

Spa best practices

If a patron spends too much time in a hot spa, the temperature can become a health hazard. We recommend no more than 15 minutes at a time. To help patrons track their time, hang a clock in plain view of spa users.

If your spa is indoor, ventilation is critical to maintaining good air quality. Place a temperature and humidity monitor on the wall, and aim to keep humidity between 50-60%, and temperature within a few degrees of the pool temperature.

Trichlor, or other stabilized chlorine, can easily create high cyanuric acid levels in spas leading to chlorine sanitization interference. Consider changing to a non-stabilized chlorine for the spa. Always contact your inspector before making any equipment changes.

Top 10 Violations 2024

If you are looking for opportunities to improve, make sure you are taking care of the most common violations we see:

Inadequate monitoring and record keeping
Cyanuric acid exceeds 90ppm
Test kit not adequate
Flow meter not working
Misc. concern (usually alkalinity)
Sanitizer too low; non-closure
Emergency phone not provided or working
pH is too low; non-closure
Sanitizer too high; non-closure
Sanitizer too low; closure

Meet Your Inspectors!

You can reach both at DLcntyhealthwaterrec@clark.wa.gov

Maggie Palomaki

Maggie is a lifelong resident of Clark County and has been with Clark County Public Health since 2016. She enjoys the challenge of pool chemistry, and working with designers on new pool construction plans.

Outside of work Maggie is an avid reader, and frequently takes her Newfoundland dogs on outdoor adventures.

She generally covers west of the I5/I205 corridor, except Ellsworth Springs.

James Morrill

James has lived in Washington state since 2011. He has over 14 years of experience working with tribal, state, and local government agencies in natural resource management. Monitoring at Clark County's designated swim areas is a special point of professional interest.

In addition to work, James is a graduate candidate for a Professional Science Masters from Oregon State University's school of Environmental Science.

He covers east of the I5/205 corridor for pool inspections, including Ellsworth Springs.

Do you have a question?

Whether its about your pool, spa, or favorite swim beach we are here to help. Click the button below to submit a question!

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For more pool operator resources, previous newsletters, and other information about the services we provide, visit our website.

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Clark County Public Health clark.wa.gov/public-health

1601 E. Fourth Plain Blvd, Building 17

Vancouver, WA 98661