Brigham City will install UV filters in public pool to combat crytosporidium: 'the 24-hour flu on steroids'

By Amy Macavinta

March 27, 2008 | BRIGHAM CITY -- Last summer, cryptosporidium outbreaks throughout the state caught swimmers and health officials by surprise, but Brigham City pool managers plan to be prepared this year.

According to the Utah Department of Health, there were 1,913 confirmed cases last summer, from June 1 through Nov. 13. And, they expect the parasite will be worse this year.

Jay Anderson, manager of the Brigham City Pool, said he made the decision last year to be pro-active, and began treating the pool as soon as outbreaks began appearing in other locations. Anderson said there were no known cases of the illness from the city pool.

This year, Anderson plans to continue a policy of pro-activity, so in lieu of an annual report, he and Assistant Manager Lynn Raymond presented their case to the Brigham City Council for the purchase of a $50,000 UV filtration system.

Raymond said cryptosporidium is a gastrointestinal parasite. He explained that when a parasite has settled into the intestines, the immune system attempts to dehydrate itself in an attempt to flush out the parasite.

"It is kind of like the 24-hour flu on steroids," said Raymond.

The illness is life-threatening to babies and the elderly, because their bodies cannot withstand the intense levels of diarrhea and subsequent dehydration.

Last year the standard method of treating the pools to help prevent contamination was to superchlorinate the water for an extended period of time. Sand filters currently in use are not effective because the parasite is so small -- many times smaller than a grain of sand.

But, Raymond said, the use of chlorine to kill the parasite has a number of challenges. When living outside of the human body, cryptosporidium is encapsulated by a thick protein shell, protecting it from traditional levels of chlorine found in most pools. In order to penetrate that shell, chlorine levels must be doubled for a period of 13 hours.

At the Brigham Pool, Anderson said this was relatively easy to accomplish, because the pool is closed on Sundays and there was adequate time to flush the pool each week. But doing so alters the pH level in the pool and requires the addition of more chemicals to bring the pH back to a safer level.

The state is in the process of drafting tougher regulations on municipal pools this year in an attempt to reduce the number of outbreaks. Anderson said the current version requires cities to superchlorinate their pools twice a week, with at least two days between cycles. In addition, every time there is a diarrheal accident in the pool, Anderson said the city will be forced to close the pool and superchlorinate the water, resulting in a 14-18 hour closure each time. Solid stool accidents will require closure for 20-30 minutes.

Superchlorination of the Brigham City Pool will be costly to the city. However, it isn't the process itself that is so expensive, it is the repeated closure of the pools and the resulting loss of revenue, Anderson said.

There is another alternative -- the installation of a full-flow ultra-violet filtering system. Raymond said UV filtration destroyed viruses, bacteria and cryptosporidium.

"It annihilates everything," Raymond said. UV filtration will also reduce closures at the pool.

The city has agreed to order the UV filter now so it can be installed before the pool opens on Memorial Day. The city has $18,000 readily available and a 50-cent increase in entrance fees is one option for funding the rest.

Although the state has not yet mandated the use of UV filters, the city prefers not to wait.

"We can't wait -- this is the right thing to do for our patrons," said Leisure Services Director Ben Boyce. "I hate to say it is going to cost all this money, but our backs are against the wall on this one."

There was no question on the city's obligation to provide the safest possible environment for swimming, but the city is also aware that swimmers carry a large part of the responsibility in keeping the pool safe.

The Centers for Disease Control has initiated a public awareness campaign called PLEAS for Protections, asking swimmers to "please" follow six guidelines that will make public pools safer for everyone: do not swim when you have diarrhea, do not ingest water from the swimming pool, take frequent bathroom breaks and practice good hygiene, restrict diaper changes to the restroom and wash children thoroughly before swimming.

Anderson also said the state health department has the authority to ban children under the age of 5 from the pool if cryptosporidium appears again, and they have already said they will do so if necessary.

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