City pools do well in water-quality inspections. Hotel pools? Well ...

Swimming pools are symbols of summertime fun – from cannon ball contests to games of Marco Polo.

But there may be something lurking in the water besides good times.

As the weather heats up, more people are jumping in to public pools around the city. More bodies in the water mean more exposure to bacteria, which can make it harder to regulate chlorine and pH levels.

Don Henry, assistant director for the Wichita Department of Public Works and Utilities, said the city’s pool inspectors monitor chlorine levels and other aspects of the water to ensure it stays clean enough for public use.

The city inspects more than 450 public aquatic facilities each year. This includes public pools, neighborhood pools, apartment complexes and hotels and any public water features. In 2016, the city performed 1,451 aquatic inspections, Henry said.

Of these, he said 8 percent of the 2016 inspections found an immediate health risk. Problems were found in public pools, hotel pools and apartment pools alike.

Henry said one of the most common problems is that chlorine levels are out of compliance.

“That can be a challenge. It gets used up,” he said. “Nobody’s perfect, and from time to time, we’ll find somebody where the chlorine residual has slipped to a level that’s too low.”

Chlorine or similar chemical alternatives are used to disinfect the water and kill bacteria that could be harmful to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When total alkalinity or pH levels are out of range, it can hinder the effectiveness of the disinfecting chemical.

There were 18 inspections conducted on the nine public pools owned by the city in 2016. There were four instances in these pools where a swimming or wading pool was found with low chlorine levels.

When a facility’s chlorine levels are low, Henry said, pool operators must shut down the pool until the chlorine level is brought within a safe range.

If the chlorine level can’t be brought up while the inspector is on site, Henry said pool management is asked to notify the city when the level has returned. The facilities are also required to keep a daily log of chlorine and other chemical water levels that helps inspectors monitor water quality more effectively, he said.

City pools and larger public pools open only in the summer had little trouble with city inspections last year. However, smaller pools in hotel chains didn’t have the same success.

Nearly 45 percent of the inspections at hotel pools and spas last year found chlorine, pH or total alkalinity levels out of the required range.

Of the 42 hotels inspected in 2016, 11 were cited for water quality issues in more than half of their inspections, and four of those hotels had water quality issues in every inspection.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Wichita Airport, 2098 S. Airport Road, was noted for either low chlorine or low alkalinity in all four of its 2016 inspections. The Wichita Suites Hotel, 5211 E. Kellogg Drive, was noted for high chlorine levels in all four of its 2016 inspections.

The Wyndham Garden Wichita Downtown, 221 E. Kellogg Drive, and Wellington Place Inn, 1847 Wellington Place, had either low alkalinity or low chlorine levels in their 2016 inspections, but each was inspected only once.

The other seven hotels noted for issues in more than half of their inspections were: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Wichita Northeast, 2340 N. Greenwich Road; La Quinta Inn & Suites Wichita East, 7335 E. Kellogg Drive; Comfort Suites Airport, 7515 W. Taft; The Inn at Tallgrass, 2280 N. Tara Circle; Hyatt Regency Wichita, 400 W. Waterman; Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Wichita East, 333 S. Webb; and Courtyard by Marriott Wichita East, 2975 N. Webb.

Hotels did not return calls regarding their inspections.

Ten hotels had no issues with inspections in 2016, though five of the 10 were inspected fewer than three times.

Those hotels were: Best Western Governor’s Inn & Suites, 4742 S. Emporia; Residence Inn by Marriott, 1212 N. Greenwich; SpringHill Suites Wichita, 1220 W. Greenwich; Staybridge Suites, 2250 N. Greenwich; Hampton Inn West, 3800 W. Kellogg Drive; La Quinta Inn & Suites Wichita Airport, 5500 W. Kellogg Drive; Motel 6, 5736 W. Kellogg Drive; Clarion Inn & Suites, 5805 W. Kellogg Drive; Holiday Inn Express Wichita South, 4860 S. Laura; and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Wichita East, 411 S. Webb.

Henry said inspectors aim to review summer-season pools three times and year-round pools five times each year.

However, 11 hotels had two or fewer inspections filed in 2016, while six hotels had more than 15.

“Depending on how hectic the summer season is, that might pull those numbers one way or the other,” he said.

There are only three inspectors on staff in the summer and one part-time inspector the rest of the year, Henry said.

There are no requirements for number of inspections per year, he said, and having water levels out of compliance in a previous inspection does not make it more likely that the facility will be inspected again.

Henry said there is no protocol for frequency of inspections aside from the inspectors’ goal of reaching each pool three to five times a year.

“They’re tracking those (numbers), and they want to keep up with the frequency as best they can,” he said.

Facilities that are out of compliance in multiple inspections can be fined, Henry said, but the city does not typically issue tickets.

“We try to work with people through technical support and education rather than putting penalties in place,” he said.

Even though some locations consistently struggle to maintain their water-quality levels, Henry said he doesn’t think anyone should be alarmed.

“We’re going to make sure that we talk to the people that operate and manage the pool and make sure they understand what they’re doing.

“Swimming is a wonderful exercise,” Henry said. “People should go out there and enjoy it. And they can have a level of insurance that those places are licensed by the city of Wichita and they’re being regulated and we’re ensuring they’re as healthy and sanitary and as safe as they can be.”

Anyone with questions or concerns regarding a public swimming facility can call Wichita Environmental Services Department at 316-268-8351.

This story was originally published July 2, 2017 at 5:12 PM with the headline "City pools do well in water-quality inspections. Hotel pools? Well ...."