Phoenix swimming pools still closed, may open this weekend
July 16th, 2008 @ 5:13pm
by Sandra Haros, Kevin Tripp/KTAR

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said city workers are taking all necessary steps to clean up the city's pools before they open to the public after nearly 30 people reported getting sick.

"We have taken the step of closing down every one of our 29 public pools and hyper-chlorinating them with double the dosage recommended by CDC and triple the time," Gordon said.

City Manager Frank Fairbanks said a parasite, which causes diarrhea in humans, was found Monday at the Starlight City Pool, at 78th Avenue and Osborn Road. The city believes only that pool is contaminated, but decided to close all its pools as a precaution.

``Because so many of our swimmers are children, we want to be safe," Fairbanks said. ``We want to be cautious."

Workers are scrubbing down all 29 city pools and bathroom facilities to ensure the contaminants are gone.

Gordon said some pools could open this weekend.

It's not clear how the parasite, known as cryptosporidium or ``crypto" got into the water, but the mayor said it could have come from a soiled diaper.

According to the Centers for Disease control, it lives in the intestines and can pass through a person's stool or be transferred through water.

``Usually, somebody's become infected with crypto and they go swimming and they have some kind of fecal accident," said Don Herrington with the Arizona Department of Health Services.

He said ``crypto" is not usually very harmful -- that it normally just causes diarrhea.

``I don't know that it's common, but it has happened in the past. And I think state and county rules that govern public and semi-public swimming pools take that into account," Herrington said.

Nearly 30 swimmers and lifeguards became ill after swimming at Starlight.

Paula Shackleford and her daughter were swimming at one city pool when crews came in and shut it down Monday evening.

``It is kind of scary. We rushed home and took a good, hot, soapy shower," said Shackleford.

Fermin Soto said he swims at city pools all the time and is one of the lucky ones who did not get ill.

``I feel bad for the people who got sick," Soto said.

City officials said the parasite has nothing to do with the city's drinking water, which is regularly checked for the parasite.

For more information on the pool closures, visit phoenix.gov.