Nationwide chlorine shortage threatens to sink summertime fun, industry experts say
Got pool plans this summer? A nationwide chlorine shortage could spoil the fun before it begins, according to industry experts.
Tight supply, blamed partly on a chemical warehouse fire last year, and a surge in demand driven by the COVID-19 pandemic are behind the supply pinch that could prove tough for folks looking to keep their pools sanitized this season. Some are already stashing what they can find ahead of what’s expected to be “the worst chlorine shortage the country has ever seen,” CNBC reported.
“We started buying early, way early, and stockpiled as much as we could,” Allan Curtis, who owns a pool maintenance business, told the outlet. “We won’t last more than probably mid-May, or late May, and we’ll be out of chlorine.”
Author Rudy Stankowitz, who also runs Aquatic Facility Training & Consultants, called it a “crisis” and said pool owners will have a tough time finding the chlorine tablets they need.
“I call it ‘Poolmageddon,’” he told CNBC.
Chlorine is commonly used to treat pool water and is effective at killing harmful germs and bacteria. Without it, swimmers may be exposed to several illnesses including diarrhea, Hepatitis A, swimmer’s ear and athlete’s foot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a free chlorine concentration of at least 1 part per million (ppm) in swimming pools and 3 ppm in hot tubs — both of which should be checked regularly when in use.
So what is driving this year’s shortage?
It began in August 2020 when Hurricane Laura slammed parts of the Gulf Coast and Louisiana, causing a fire that destroyed the manufacturing plant of one of the nation’s largest producers of chlorine tablets, BioLab, according to Yahoo Finance. Also, COVID-19 lockdowns led to an increase in the purchase of pools and pool supplies — which also drove up the price.
Pool Corp CFO Mark Joslin said the cost of chlorine pool tablets has surged nearly 60%, with no sign of improvement.
“If you think about how that’s going to shake out for the balance of the year, it will probably remain at an elevated level because I believe that the industry is going to be short for the season,” Joslin said on an April earnings call, according to Yahoo Finance.
Experts said the shortage is widespread and could last into next year. But that doesn’t mean people should ditch their pool plans. Instead, pool owners and operators will have to get creative with how they sanitize the water.
Alternatively, pools can be kept clean by using saltwater sanitizers, ozone purification and UV light treatments, among others, according to Blue Haven Pools & Spas.
“There’s no shortage of ways to sanitize the pool,” Joslin told Yahoo Finance. “It just simply means at a certain point people will shift.”
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