Swimming Pool Water Disposal

The City of Cathedral City has given Montage at Mission Hills Homeowner Association residents an exemption from the provisions of the City Ordinance Title 14.24.060, Draining of Swimming Pools – Permit Required, related to disposing of swimming pool water in the City. The exemption is conditional upon Association members following prescribed best practices for disposing of swimming pool water into the Montage curb gutters, streets, stormwater inlets, and the Montage detention basin. The Coachella Valley Water District has reviewed the City requirements and administratively approved the exemption under the terms of their MS4 regional stormwater permit. The exemption requires modifications to association Rules and Regulations, Section 15, Pool Draining, and the education of residents and their pool service providers.

A copy of the communications related to the City exemption can be viewed and downloaded by Clicking Here.

Maintaining your swimming pool’s water quality is essential for keeping it clean, safe, and inviting. In the Coachella Valley, the desert climate, with its extreme heat, dust, and dry conditions, adds extra challenges to pool maintenance.  The hardness of Valley water and continual evaporation result in a build-up of chemicals and dissolved solids that create the need to change pool water more frequently than in other areas of southern California.

When and how do you dispose of the old pool water correctly?

Generally, it’s recommended to change all or most of your pool water every 4 to 5 years. However, several factors can influence this timeline, including how often the pool is used, the quality of maintenance, and local climatic conditions. The best times of year to change your pool water in the Coachella Valley are in early Spring (March-April) and late Fall (October-November) in cooler weather to reduce the potential for structural damage to your pool.  The Coachella Valley Water District recommends fall.

 What are Some Key Indicators That It’s Time to Change Pool Water?

Your pool service should know, but you can take a water sample to Leslie’s or buy a good pool water test kit. It is time to change your water when:

• Scaling or Staining: Most common, excess calcium in the water, common in desert areas, leads to scaling on the pool wall surfaces.
• TDS (Total Dissolved Solids): Over time, minerals, chemicals, and contaminants build up in pool water. If the TDS level exceeds 1,500 parts per million (ppm), the water becomes difficult to manage and may need replacing.
• Chlorine Demand: If you’re adding chlorine regularly but it’s not maintaining a proper balance, it might be due to a buildup of organic matter, signaling the need for fresh water.
• Water Clarity Issues: Cloudy water that doesn’t clear up, even after cleaning and chemical treatment, can indicate it’s time to drain and replace the water.

Best Practices for Pool Water Disposal

It’s essential to dispose of your pool water properly to avoid environmental damage or legal issues. Here are the proper methods for pool water disposal in Montage:

1. Notify the Community Manager: Call or email the community manager at PPM and provide them with the proposed start date and time needed to drain your pool into the street. Leave enough time to dissipate the chemicals before draining.
2. Pre-treat the Water: Before draining, ensure the pool water’s chlorine level is below 0.1 parts per million (ppm) and the pH level is between 6.5 and 8.5. This prevents harmful chemicals from entering the environment.
3. Option 1 – Pump the Water into Streets and Storm Drains: Drain the pool water into the street gutter.
4. Option 2—Landscape Disposal: If the water is chemically neutral (no chlorine or other harsh chemicals), consider using it to irrigate your landscaping. However, be mindful of the pH level and salt content to avoid damaging plants. For more information on landscape disposal and use, Click Here.

 Do Not Drain to the Sanitary Sewer System

While in many areas of the Coachella Valley and state, it is permissible, even required, to drain pool water into the sanitary sewer, it is not acceptable in our precise geographic area because, according to CVWD compliance officer Vanessa Duong, water treatment facilities serving Montage are not fully modernized to be able to remove the dissolved solids in the pool water. In Montage, water must be pumped into the street, flowing then to the Montage detention basin aquifer recharge area or into the storm sewer and the White River.