City Pools Temporarily Closing As Precautionary Measure Beginning Tonight at 7 p.m.
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The following information is distributed from the City of Frisco's News
and Information service.
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CITY POOLS TEMPORARILY CLOSING AS PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE
(July 31, 2008) Beginning at 7 p.m. this evening, the City of Frisco will
close its municipal pools while staff 'super chlorinates' the facilities
as a precautionary measure. To date, Frisco has no confirmed cases of
cryptosporidiosis. In fact, routine pool tests taken by the city's health
inspectors just before 4 p.m. today showed all chemical levels within the
'safe' range mandated by the state of Texas.
Nevertheless, Frisco is joining the list of North Texas cities taking
proactive steps to treat city run pools for the parasite, which causes
intestinal infections.
"We hope, by taking these additional precautions, the public is reassured
our pools are safe," said Steve Walsh, Recreation Facilities Manager. "We
already maintain our chemical levels at or above the required levels to
ensure our patrons and lifeguards are enjoying a safe, sanitary
environment."
City staff anticipates both the indoor and outdoor pools at the Frisco
Athletic Center (FAC), 5828 Nancy Jane Lane, and the Municipal Outdoor
Pool, which is located at the corner of Maple and Mimosa Streets in
downtown, will reopen at noon on Saturday, August 2.
"Whenever we 'super chlorinate' a pool, we need to allow plenty of time
for the chlorine levels to return to a safe level for people. So while we're
planning to reopen our facilities at our regular time on Saturday, it
could take longer for the water to return to a safe, chemical balance.
The Texas State Code requires chemical levels be tested every two hours
while pools are in use. In response to recent outbreaks of 'crypto',
Frisco stepped up its monitoring efforts beginning more than two weeks
ago.
"We've been testing our pool chemical levels every hour since we first
learned of the 'crypto' concerns," said Walsh. "We've also been requiring
all babies wear swim diapers and if they don't have a swim diaper handy,
we provide them (diapers) at no charge."
As a normal practice, city staff 'super chlorinates' its pools in response
to any known fecal accident, as outlined by the Centers for Disease
Control.
On a related note, 'The Zone' inside the FAC will be closed tomorrow from
4 - 9 p.m. to accommodate a birthday party originally planned for the
Outdoor Water Park.
The city's two spray parks are not impacted by the closure because non
circulating fresh water is used and drains directly off the spray pad.
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