Denver leaders conduct pool inspections before swimmers hit the water
DENVER (KDVR) — A dozen recreational and residential inspectors are making rounds at public pools ahead of Memorial Day weekend, ensuring the water is safe for the swimmers this summer.
Under Denver’s code, the main places with public pools that need to be licensed are apartment complexes, condos and hotels. Inspectors go out year-round to assure the pools’ safety before anyone hits the water.
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“Everyone wants to have some fun hitting the swimming pool this summer,” said Eric Escudero, of the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses.
Before jumping into the water, it’s important to make sure it’s safe.
“They don’t want to have something really bad happen, as far as dealing with chemicals that can hurt them or unsafe water conditions,” Escudero said.
That’s why the city and county of Denver require licenses for public swimming pools. Inspectors check for everything including the use and storage of chemicals, unclean water and pool safety hazards.
Reid Matsuda, a Denver public health inspector, oversees that process.
“You could have a perfect pool for 364 days, but there could be that one day where the pool isn’t in good operation — first and foremost, waterborne illnesses,” Matsuda said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of pools could not open because of the public safety threat.
“So when we looked at this last year, we saw there were a lot of public pools in places such as hotels, HOA apartment complexes, that did not have that required license,” Escudero said.
City leaders started enforcement efforts. Last year the city issued 201 notice of violation warning letters to unlicensed pool operators, and 24 received $150 fines for first-time offenses. Two received $500 fines for second offenses, and one pool operator received the maximum $999 fine.
That maximum fine was issued to an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Grove Street, garnering nearly $5,600 in fines.
“We want everyone to be safe — the adults and the children — but when you think about kids getting in the pool that maybe has unsafe chemical levels, unsafe water, that’s something we don’t want to see happen in the Mile High City,” Escudero said.
There is some consumer protection. Pool visitors can find out if the pool is licensed: Pools are required by law to display their license.
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Another interesting fact not known by many is that the zoning code makes it illegal for a private person to rent out their home pool to the public on websites such as swimply.com.
If you have any concerns, call 311 to file a complaint. Someone will come out to check to see if the pool is licensed and safe as is required by law.
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