Readers React: How drought-friendly are swimming pools?

To the editor: This article told two important stories: First, pools consume somewhat less water than a traditional lawn of the same size, and second, covered pools cut water evaporation by nearly half.

Had the headline read “Use of pool covers reduces water use by close to half,” pool owners might have been motivated to make the investment and effort necessary to produce this badly needed water savings.

Instead, The Times focused on the first story and declared that “pools aren’t a big problem.” Thus this paper of mass circulation missed an important opportunity to contribute to the cause of water conservation, one of the pivotal issues of our time. (“Water agencies are learning pools aren’t a big factor during drought,” Sept. 12)

Roger Schwarz, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I walk the two-mile path around the Brentwood Country Club daily. It’s a beautiful walk, the path ringed with eucalyptus trees and surrounded by impressive homes with large, lush frontyards and with refreshing pools behind.

Last but not least is the most beautiful part of the walk and the reason for the path’s existence in the first place: the country club golf course, gleaming like miles of tiny, glittering emeralds.

Afterward, I come back to my townhouse with its small patio and drench my plants — without so much as a smidgen of guilt.

Paula Del, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Thanks for the excellent article quantifying the effect of swimming pools on our water supply. I’ll add that replenishing evaporated water in pools differs from other water uses in an important respect.

If the water were not sitting in the pool, where would it be? Likely in an open reservoir or in a canal headed for its ultimate destination. Would it be evaporating? Certainly. It makes no difference to the total water supply whether the water evaporated from the pool or elsewhere in the system, so by a first approximation, replacing the water that evaporates from pools costs nothing.

Thus, the water that filled the pool in the first place is the only real cost.

Recently, I learned that it takes a swimming pool’s worth of water to raise a few pounds of beef. I haven’t refilled my pool in years, but if I have to, I’ll compensate by forgoing a roast beef dinner.

Brian L. Masson, Harbor City

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To the editor: An uncovered pool uses a mere 96,575 gallons over five years versus 116,813 for a turf-grass lawn. And, somehow, that math serves as an endorsement for swimming pools?

From where I sit, it’s actually an indictment of the uncovered pool and the lawn, both of which have been prohibited by forward-thinking communities throughout California for several years now.

Ben Burkhalter, Manhattan Beach

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