The Ames Golf & Country Club has drained its pool to prevent possible “irrigation water” from entering the system.
The pool is closed out of an “abundance of caution,” a message to club members said, and will be shuttered for the “near future.” The message did not say when the pool would reopen.
The country club will “no longer be using any type of irrigation water to fill the pool” under Story County Environmental Health’s guidance, the message said.
The country club said it uses a mix of water from a well and nearby pond, or irrigation water, to hydrate the golf course.
A change in plumbing may have caused a mix of well and pond water to be used to fill the nearby country club pool, Story County Environmental Health Specialist Matthew Cory told the Ames Tribune. He didn’t know how much − if any − of the pool was filled with irrigation water.
The state requires water for swimming pools to be “potable water.”
“The well would be fine, but if there was any pond water introduced, that would not be considered potable water,” Cory said. “As an abundance of caution, (the country club) decided to (drain the pool) and start over.”
Cory said he received a tip about the pool on Tuesday, May 26, and spoke to the country club manager. The club voluntarily decided to drain the pool on Wednesday, May 27, though the organization was not directed to do so by Story County Environmental Health.
Cory said the country club wasn’t initially aware of the plumbing changes that caused irrigation water to enter the pool, but decided to drain it before Story County Environmental Health got involved.
A person who identified as an Ames Country Club general manager but would not state their name told the Ames Tribune on Thursday, May 28, that the pool situation was “all good” but declined to comment further.
The country club, in its message to members, said it is exploring a permanent solution to fill the pool.
“We take the safety of our water very seriously and have always met or exceeded state guidelines for water cleanliness and have had zero issues with anyone having a negative reaction to our pool water,” the message said.
Cory said that voluntarily draining the pool removed any health concerns and no immediate directive is required.
Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ames Country Club drains pool, avoiding possible use of pond water
Reporting by Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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