East Central Health of Georgia

East Central Health District

Neglected Swimming Pool Inspections

POOL INSPECTIONS


Fig. 1: Inspectors at out-of-compliance pool

Privately owned pools in Richmond county can sometimes go without servicing or become abandoned. Pools that go unmaintained and become stagnant or have trash and debris inside can produce HUGE numbers of mosquitoes that can fly to bite members of nearby communities, providing irritation and a health threat as mosquitoes carry several serious diseases.

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnant water and their offspring are aquatic, living in water until they emerge as adults. The leaves, trash, and algae that collects in unserviced pools provides habitat and food for mosquito larvae and allows them to thrive in large numbers.

Fig. 2: Life cycle of the mosquito. Adults-> Eggs-> Larva->Pupa -> Adults

If you would like to report and abandoned, un-maintained, or out of service pool, please call 311 and our inspectors will visit the property and ensure that the pool is removed or brought back into service.

Abandoned pools that remain for long periods of time may be serviced by our inspectors with mosquito fish – native minnows that thrive in abandoned pools containing large quantities of water, eating mosquito larvae.


Fig. 3: Pouring native mosquito minnows into
an abandoned pond to eat mosquito larvae
until pool can be serviced or removed.