When swimmers skip the pre-swim shower, the pool essentially becomes their communal bath. A 2019 Water Quality & Health Council survey found 93% of respondents would never reuse someone else’s bath water, yet 68% admitted they do not always shower before swimming.
At Petersfield Open Air Swimming Pool we are proud to have been rated 97% for our water quality and we hope you can help us keep it this way.
Unshowered swimmers contribute to the chemistry of pool water by adding dirt, perspiration, cosmetics, body oils, and traces of urine and faecal matter to the pool.
In 2012, a Dutch research team explored the effectiveness of the pre-swim shower using volunteers who agreed to shower, wearing their bathing suits, in specially constructed shower stalls in which water was collected and analysed over the course of showering. The team found that impurities or “anthropogenic pollutants,” measured from the pre-swim shower levelled off after 30-60 seconds to a relatively constant
rate.
They concluded that a simple 60-second shower can be helpful in reducing the majority of pollutants added to the pool by swimmers.
The pre-swim shower is for the health of everyone. Please support us in keeping the water quality at our pool high. We have hot showers in the changing rooms and a cold shower pool side.
We encourage you to apply sun cream at least 30 minutes before your planned swim, as this will give it time to sink in, and will remain water resistant post-shower.
Info taken from Water Quality and Health Council.
How can I help Petersfield Open Air Swimming Pool maintain its water quality?
You can help us by:
- Showering before swimming.
- Wearing a rash vest rather than sunscreen. Rash vests for children are available on loan at the pool and have an SPF 50+
- Applying sunscreen 30 minutes before swimming as it will absorb into the skin and not come off in the shower (or our water).
Sunscreens applied directly before swimming do not absorb into the skin and come off in the pool leading to very poor water quality. - Using pool and marine friendly sunscreens which are those that contain zinc oxide and bear the symbol “reef friendly”. These are available at the pool.