Why aren't swimming pools open longer?

Question

I live in West Texas where we can have 90 degree and above weather from February to November... so WHY are the majority of pools only open from June through August?? :(

Answer 1

As a former Swimming Pool Manager I can tell you that the cost of operating swimming pools is enormous.  I know of few aquatics facilities that break even revenue vs costs, and the vast majority of public pools are heavily subsidized from your tax dollars.  If a community has the will to do it, even an outdoor pool can be kept open year-round.  But for many agencies that run aquatics facilities the costs are simply too great.  Without serious and vocal community action, your local public pools will be lucky to remain operating even on a seasonal basis!

There are related factors.  People tend to think of swimming as a summer activity, so often there is not support for a year-round swimming program.  Staffing is difficult in the off-season as many pools rely on students for employees.  Cold weather for an outdoor pool tends to raise energy consumption, and thus costs, exponentially.  In today's high-energy-cost environment making the case for changing from seasonal to year-round in many areas would be extremely difficult.

The best thing you can do is to get in touch with other swimmers and try and lobby the agency that runs your public pools.  But you'll need to get your facts together;  start with requesting a copy of the agency budget and look specifically at the costs of the aquatics programs.  That will give you a starting point for projecting costs into the other months for the public pool.  

Good luck!

Answer 2

lifeguards are typically high school and college kids, this is when they are off, no baywatch in texas

Answer 3

Maybe it is too expensive for the operating cost for the full year.

Answer 4

It costs a lot of money to properly maintain a pool.

Answer 5

Business is better during that time frame, it's when kids are out of school and they have more customers.

Answer 6

i dont know about west texas, but i live in pittsburgh and they closed alot of them down about 5 years ago, various reasons, but mostly due to the dwindling number of people that use them and also the fact the employees and facilities are payed for by the city, which at the time, and still kinda is,  financally strapped for cash, so they cut corners where they can

Answer 7

I believe it has to do with chlorine levels, well at lest for the outside ones.  

Indoor pools over here are open all year long.

Answer 8

are you talking about public pools? like at rec centers ?

because that is what i have experienced in most public pools.  they just have them open basically in the summer - when school is out.

Other places and private pools stay open different amounts.

but i live in Virgina - nowhere near as warm as where you are,  and have a pool - which i keep open from April to October.

When I lived in California, most of the pools were open between 10 months to all year.

and friends in Florida and most motels and hotels keep their pools open all year.

Answer 9

It's a seasonal thing

Answer 10

It's all county, city or state laws hon!

Answer 11

The pool in my back yard is open year round.