Green Pool?

My daughter is a firm believer in a “Green World” and works very hard practicing what she preaches. She has got her family trained very well in the art of conserving and they all work equally hard at it. Trash recycling day is a big one at their house as they always have everything washed, stripped, sorted and tied all properly placed curbside awaiting the city trucks to arrive. They work at conserving heat in the winter and they have got rid of their big, gas-guzzling Suv in favor of walking and riding bikes. They are truly a “Green Family” and we are also so proud.

It came as quiet a shock to us when we heard that she had siphoned out the 3,500 gallons in their pool. The pool level was very high as a result of recent rains and the pool level needed to be lowered a bit so she hooked up a siphon hose and forgot about it until the evening while taking a shower and now the pool was empty. This would be the fourth time this summer that she has had to fill the pool which amounts to 14,000 gallons, all wasted. The first draining occurred when they realized that they had neglected to thourghly read the directions and had not prepared a proper base for the supports and the outside edges were settling, unevenly. Solution: enter Mom and Dad with wheelbarrows and transit, after the pool was drained for the 1st time. After repairs were made the pool was refilled for the 2nd time and lasted most of the summer. At some time little holes appeared in the bottom and the water drained away overnight. She made repair patches for the bottom and refilled for a running total of 10,500 gallons. After the “accidental siphoning the running total is now at 14,000 gallons. So far [not including her last fill] the water bill jumped $40. Not being green hurts the pocketbook, it appears. I asked about the sequence of events and she sent me an email that read: "It sank-drained Refilled; Tear-drained overnight by itself Fixed and refilled but forgot and overflowed for 4-5 hours (washed out sand from underneath pool)Rained too much so I wanted to drain some water off....22 hours later....the pool was about empty; Filled again for the 4th time. "

I don’t know how she is going to make up the total water she has lost but Mother Nature might be one solution. If our rains keep coming like they have been the past two months she would be able to make up those loses rather quickly with our “Green Downspouts”. Good luck Ellen.

A little water harvesting can be a good thing.