Chlorine shortage creating challenges for residential pool openings
BETHESDA, Md. - When that summer sun is beating down, there’s nothing quite like hopping in the pool. It’ll cool you down, it’s a great place for family fun – but right now, a lot of residential pool owners are having a hard time getting those backyards ready to go.
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The reason? Chlorine is in short supply.
"I’m not using it as much as I would because I’m trying to, you know, get through this period of no chlorine," explained pool owner Dr. Marilyn Gaston.
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The issue stems from a factory fire in Louisiana. As previously reported by Bloomberg, it took out a facility that supplied the bulk of popular chlorine tablets throughout the U.S., leaving pool owners like Gatson and also business owners like Solie Darvish in a tough spot.
"For us if we sit here without anything to sell we can’t pay the rent," Darvish told FOX 5 Monday, before laughing and adding, "so we won’t be here long."
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Darvish – who owns Anglo Dutch Pools and Toys in Bethesda – said there are alternatives to the chlorine tablets, but they’re much less convenient. Not only that, the chlorine shortage has driven prices up.
"I’m hoping that this is going to be a short term problem and we start getting some chlorine in," Darvish added.
The chlorine shortage does not appear to be as big of a problem for larger county-run pools. Several told FOX 5 that’s because they mostly use a different type of chlorine that is purchased in bulk.