"Make a Healthy Splash"

Make a Healthy Splash Graphic.

With over 30,000 visitors to our aquatics facilities in 2014, it's no surprise that the US Census Bureau says that swimming is the fourth most popular sports activity in the US.

Water chemistry, sanitation, filtration, safety equipment, and staff training are already key components of ACC's Aquatics programs, but only our users can prevent the spread of Recreational Water Illnesses (RWI's) before they even start. One study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 21.6% of users did not know that swimming while ill could make other swimmers sick. Find out more about RWI's in the FAQ's below and learn what you can do to help everyone "Make a Healthy Splash!"

Make a Healthy Splash Quick Facts

TRUE OR FALSE: All germs are instantly killed by disinfectants like chlorine which are used to treat pool water.
False. Some germs are resistant to disinfectants and it can take minutes to days for chlorine to kill them.

How common are illness outbreaks related to recreational water such as pools and splash pads?

The CDC reports that in 2009 and 2010 there were a total of just 81 outbreaks. That's just over 40 outbreaks a year across more than 309,000 public swimming pools across the US.

What is a Recreational Water Illness (RWI)?

RWIs include a wide variety of infections, such as gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and wound infections. The most commonly reported RWI is diarrhea.

How do I keep myself and my family safe?
 1. Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea or have had symptoms in the past two weeks.
Diarrhea is the transmission vector for germs like Cryptosporidium which is the most common cause of RWI's.

2. Shower after you arrive at the pool but before you get in the water to wash off any dirt, oils, and germs you may have on your skin to keep these out of the water. Showers are provided at all of our aquatics facilities

3. Every hour--everyone out! Take bathroom breaks and change diapers at least once an hour.

4. Don't swallow water from the pool or splash pad.

Learn More

For more information on RWI's and Healthy Swimming visith the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Swimming site: http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/.