A nationwide chlorine shortage is forcing public swimming pools to close in the heat of the summer, adding frustration to a season that was supposed to bring a return to normal in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
In May, the New York Times warned, the shortage was already on the horizon, with residential pools affected by a “poolocalypse,” because “a fire at the end of last summer caused a shutdown at the plant that produces most of the country’s supply of chlorine tablets.” The fire was sparked by damage caused by Hurricane Laura, a category 4 storm.
The price of chlorine has skyrocketed as supply has dwindled, adding to inflation and putting a clean pool out of reach for many residential and public facilities.
The result is being felt in pools — and by disappointed swimmers — across the nation. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Sunday:
A nationwide chlorine shortage is putting a damper on those pool parties and swim lessons San Diegans pined for during the pandemic.
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Across the county, public pools and HOA pools have either shut down or canceled certain activities, citing the national chlorine shortage. Several YMCA locations in the region, including the South Bay Family branch in Chula Vista, have closed their spas, while others, such as the Cameron Family site in Santee, have temporarily closed their recreational pools, according to notices posted per affected branch on the organization’s website.
San Diego, at least, has the ocean nearby — though the Pacific is too cold for many bathers, even in California’s southernmost city.
Elsewhere, Americans are going to have to endure the heat indoors — assuming they have electricity to run the air conditioning, which may not be a given in California, which has struggled with power shortages during heat waves all summer.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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