Can I Fill My Swimming Pool In A Drought?

• Feb 11, 2014
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Ever since the current drought has been confirmed by our Governor, Jerry Brown, the first question I get from everyone is “can I fill my pool?” or “can I build a swimming pool in the drought”.

There are no restrictions on filling and maintaining a pool during a drought.

Here are a couple of little known facts;

• Any landscaping that occupies the same area as a pool, uses many times more water than a pool.
• The amount of water to initially fill your new pool is equal to the amount of water a family of 4 uses in one month.

Once the swimming pool is full, the only water a swimming pool uses is to refill water from splash-out and evaporation, and this is a minor amount of water. The water recirculates through it’s filtration system and so it is used again and again.

• When you water a lawn or landscape plants or hedges, that water goes into the ground is lost.

As an example; a lawn that has 4 sprinkler heads @ 2gpm, running for 20 min a day 3 times per week will use 500 gallons per week. In about 9 months your landscaping will use as much water as it takes to fill a swimming pool. And once you fill a swimming pool the pool keeps it’s water for 15+ years.

In other words the best advice is; You can save water by replacing your lawn with a swimming pool.