Nationwide Chlorine Shortage Could Make a Bummer of a Summer

I don't know how to tell you this, but there's about to be a national chlorine shortage that could put a real dent in your Summertime pool fun. Oh, and also it's Louisiana's fault. Actually, it's Hurricane Laura's fault.

There are a few contributing factors to the fast-approaching chlorine "Poolmageddon" such as increased demand because of COVID-19. One of the bigger contributing factors however has to do with Hurricane Laura.

When Hurricane Laura ripped through Lake Charles in August of 2020, as you'll remember, the storm slammed a riverboat into the Lake Charles bridge. This not only shut down the Lake Charles Bridge but also started a chemical fire at the BioLab manufacturing plant.

BioLab is one of the nation’s largest producers of chlorine tablets.

Not having enough chlorine to properly clean swimming pools can lead to serious health problems for Summer swimmers.

From miamiherald.com -

"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 good news is that all hope is not yet lost when it comes to cleaning pools.

How to Clean Pools Without Chlorine Tablets

There are a few different techniques you can use to make sure your pool is clean and safe in light of the chlorine shortage.

Blue Haven Pools & Spas tells miamiherald.com that alternative methods of properly cleaning swimming pools include saltwater sanitizers, ozone purification, and UV light treatments.

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