With swim season currently underway, pool sanitation and safety come first, which begs the question: Is peeing in the pool an issue?
The FHS swimming pool spans 25 yards with 22 lanes, making it roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool. With FHS hosting a multitude of swimming events, from lap swim to renting out the pool to various swim clubs, it is important that FHS keeps the pool clean.
Generally, chlorine is used to sanitize pools. Chlorine reacts with water to make hypochlorous acid, which kills the bacteria and viruses in the pool, keeping the pool safe for swimmers. While well-maintained pools are odorless, sometimes chloramines are produced through a combination of chlorine disinfectant and urine making a “pool chlorine smell.” According to MySwimPro, an average Olympic sized pool accumulates more than 100 gallons of urine. With the amount of swimmers going in and out of FHS’s swimming pool, a lot of chloramines are formed. According to NSW Health, chloramines can cause irritation to the eyes and irritate respiratory systems. Luckily, FHS swimmers have reported that the FHS pool is less irritating than other pools.
“I think the Fremont pool has, you know, a very, very light odor,” FHS freshman and swimmer John Hockins said “I’ve gone to some pools where I smell like chlorine for almost a day even after showering multiple times. Luckily, the [FHS] pool’s smell normally comes off after one shower.”
Since the FHS pool has a milder odor, it is safe to assume that the chloramines in the pool are low. Less chloramines means more free chlorine, meaning the pool is most likely maintained properly.
Although the chlorine in the FHS pool takes care of the urine, swimmers still have to accept the fact that they may be swimming in urine. Many famous swimmers have stated that they have urinated in a pool, and that it is almost part of the culture of swimming.
“I mean [I tolerate piss in the pool] because it’s sort of like a given in swimming,” FHS sophomore and swimmer Ethan Kelly said. “You’re going to be swimming in people’s piss, but also the chlorine sort of kills it.”
While toleration of urine in the pool is a must for swimmers, it is still a delicate subject. Some swimmers find the idea off-putting.
“I’m not a fan of it,” Hockins said. “I really don’t like the idea of swimming, you know, knowing other people have peed in the pool. It’s kind of an unsettling feeling.”
In conclusion, while FHS’s pool has many swimmers going day in and day out, the pool itself is well-maintained. Its low levels of chloramine and normal levels of chlorine qualify it as safe.
“I think the [FHS] pool is a great space to swim and do other water related activities,” Hockins said. “If the pool was more unclean, I really think it would not be good for the campus as a whole.”
