How to Properly Dispose of Water
Sacramento, Calif. – For those who plan to drain or remove water from your swimming pool or spa, Sacramento County Water Resources wants to provide tips on how to properly dispose of the water through GREEN practices.
We recommend disposing the water via the sanitary sewer because it goes through a treatment plant before entering the local water ways. However, the water can be discharged to the storm drain, but only after it meets certain requirements.
See below for additional requirements on how to properly discharge swimming pool and spa water while protecting your local water ways and helping the environment.
Sanitary Sewer
We recommend this method because the water discharged to the sanitary sewer system is conveyed to a treatment plant where it is designed to remove most chemicals found in pools and spas. When discharging water to the sanitary sewer, make sure the flow rate is slow enough that it does not cause the sewer to back up and overflow into your house, your neighbor’s house or onto the street.
Your pool may have a permanent indirect connection to the sanitary sewer. If not, you can pump the water into an interior laundry sink or other plumbing fixture or to a sewer cleanout.
Storm Drains (Limited)
You may discharge pool/spa water to the storm drain system only if the water is:
- Free of all chemicals (chlorine, bromine, etc.) in toxic amounts
- Free of debris, algae, or vegetation
- At a flow rate that does not cause damage to the storm drain system or cause erosion downstream
- Not heated
For more information how to properly dispose of swimming pool and spa water, visit www.sacramentostormwater.org or call (916) 808-4H2O(4426).
For those not following proper disposal methods, you may be subject to enforcement actions.
