In the summer, splashing in the pools and taking a trip down the waterslides are highlights for our guests. With swimmer comfort and safety top of mind, we’re transitioning our Village Center pool facilities to salt water chlorination, an effort expected to wrap up  during summer 2015. We’re confident it’s the best way to serve our water-loving guests.

For swimmers, pool water treated with a salt water chlorine generation system has some benefits over traditional chlorine sanitization:

• It’s less irritating on the eyes.
• It’s softer on your skin.
• It won’t fade or damage swim suits.
• It provides a more comfortable experience for swimmers with asthma, allergies, or chemical sensitivities.

There are environmental, safety and resource management bonuses, too. Conversion from chlorine allows our pool managers to reduce storage of this hazardous chemical on site. Also, the salt water system is regenerative, which creates less waste.

Here’s how the process works:

First, salt is dissolved in the water. The water passes through a salt cell which produces a chemical reaction that generates enough chlorine to keep the pool disinfected. Eventually, the reaction slows down and the molecules revert back to their original forms, becoming salt and water again. This reduces the need to add salt on a regular basis, and because chlorine is generated within the water, there is better consistency of sanitization.

In recent years, two of our small condominium neighborhood pools were converted to salt water chlorine generation systems, and one new neighborhood pool was built with a salt water chlorine generator in place. This past winter we converted the 85,000-gallon Courtside Pool and hot tubs, which are in use year-round (and add a waterslide in the summer).  Feedback from our guests has been extremely positive, with many folks remarking on the softer skin feel of the water.

This summer, it’s time to move on to complete conversion of our other large water complexes: Mountainside, with a lap pool, lagoon, kiddie pool and Giant Rapid River Ride, and Notchville Park, with  three pools and Twister flume waterslide. Soon our guests will be enjoying the benefits of salt water chlorination at all their favorite splash and swim spots at Smugglers’!

Dip into more information about our pools and waterslides!