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Reusing chlorinated swimming pool water

wozo66

By Wozo66

United Kingdom

Hello

I am interested to find out if anyone has experience of swimming pool water being used in parks and gardens around the country. I work at a local swimming pool that dumps over 18000 litres per week down the drain whilst cleaning the filters. Would it be possible to use this water in a puiblic park with gardens that is in the adjacent area? I have all the water composition figues in terms of Chlorine and pH levels of the water should they be required. If anyone can help or advise, it would be most appreciated.

Thank you.




Answers

 

sorry i dont have the answer but what a great idea if the water from swimming pools could be reused in our parks or gardens

31 Oct, 2008

 

I really don't think it can Wozo. The problem is - chlorine. Now it is possible to neutralise chlorine, it is possible to neutralise just about any chemical. The problem is that do to a small amount like 18000 litres is just not economically viable. The best way it can be recycled is to do what they are doing. Pour it down the drain so it can be picked up by the local water company and be recycled along with the millions of litres that they do every month.

John.

31 Oct, 2008

 

chlorine leeches out of water after 24 hours i thaught

31 Oct, 2008

 

Afraid not NP. I quote from the Sciencedirect web site.

'Inorganic and organic chloramines pose a threat to aquatic ecosystems that are exposed to discharges of treated and disinfected wastewater. Conventionally practiced dechlorination with sulfite reduces the most refractory organic chloramines too slowly to produce wastewater effluents that meet current ecosystem protection criteria in the United States (i.e. total residual chlorine less-than-or-equals, slant0.011 mg Cl2/L in freshwaters). Seeking faster dechlorinating agents, we have measured the rates that four test chloramines (NH2Cl, N-Cl-piperidine, N-Cl-leucylalanine and N-Cl-alanylalanine) react with 10 selected reducing agents at pH 7.4 and pH 8.4. The aqueous-phase reducing agents that offer speed advantages over sulfite alone include dithionite, thiosulfate, and iodide-mediated sulfite. Ascorbic acid was the most reactive of the sulfur-free agents but was found to be slow relative to sulfite. The potential biological oxygen demand might constrain the choice of aqueous reductants. Metallic iron is shown to reduce inorganic and organic chloramines effectively. The implications of these results for wastewater chlorine reduction and analysis are discussed.'

Even though most of us won't understand a lot of this, it is clear that dechlorinating agents are required to get rid of all the traces.

1 Nov, 2008

 

well that told me lol

1 Nov, 2008

 

I wish it had told me (other than you need dechlorinating agents). LoL.

John.

1 Nov, 2008

 

Yes John, I understand all you have written.
When they have finished the process we get the water !!! through our mains supply, alright for humans but useless for plant life.
Our water in this part of the world has been passed six times. Lol Rob.

1 Nov, 2008

 

the same water has bean passed millions of times.thats how the world works.the same water we use has bean on this planet for millions of years.

2 Nov, 2008

 

Hmm. Rather like Bruce Forsyth eh?

2 Nov, 2008

 

Hi Sarraceniac

Many thanks for that in-depth response. I understand what the article is saying from a swimming pool operation point of view. We have the Sodium Thiosulphate available at swimming pools to reduce free-chlorine levels if the readings stray way out of set parameters.
So, further to my original question, if we were to store 18000 litres per week of waste pool water that has a pH of around 7.4 - 7.6, a free chlorine level of around 1.5 mg/l (ppm) and a combined chlorine level of around 2.5 mg/l (ppm) and we treated it to remove the free chlorine levels to approximately zero with sodium thiosulphate, could this water then be used in parks and gardens (even if it was diluted somewhat with fresh water)?

Thanks for all contributions - it's certainly interesting reading people's comments.

3 Nov, 2008

 

ofcourse you can just commen sense

7 Nov, 2008

How do I say thanks?

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