FOI request (FOIR-699433088)

Swimming pool temperature

Requested Tue 25 March 2025
Responded Tue 01 April 2025

1. What is the temperature that each pool in your local authority area aims to achieve (as of March 2025). Please provide in degrees Celsius, please be as specific as possible, and provide temperatures for different pools if applicable (for example, main pool and toddler pool).

2. Has there been a change in this aimed-for temperature in the past 5 years? If yes, please be as specific as possible on all changes since 2020.

3. If yes to Q2, for each pool what is the primary reason for any changes in temperature?

4. If yes to Q2, was there any public consultation regarding a temperature change? If so, please share responses if possible.

Response

1. Individual sites may have variations due to specific contractual obligations on water temperatures, but across the organisation, our standard recommended temperatures are as follows: 27.5 degrees Celsius for main pools (swimming training), 29 degrees Celsius for teaching and leisure pools, 32 degrees Celsius for spa pools.

These temperatures comply with the water temperatures recommended by PWTAG (Pool Water Technical Advisory Group). In sites where there is only one pool, meaning it is used for multiple purposes throughout a standard operational day, the higher recommended temperature is in place to protect customer wellbeing.

2. There has been no change to our recommended temperatures in the specified period, but from late 2022 we have more closely monitored temperatures to ensure compliance with these recommendations, and they are now part of internal audit checks.

3. The aforementioned increase in monitoring was introduced during the energy price crisis, to eliminate wastage and increase operational efficiency, and drive down the organisational carbon footprint.

4. No specific consultation has been conducted as we have not changed our operating parameters, but we continue to monitor customer feedback regarding pool water temperatures on an ongoing basis.