Some Wake County pools closed for violations

“I want to make sure when you go swimming that you’re gonna be pretty sure that everything’s all right,” said Terry Chappell, of Wake County Environmental Services.

Unlike restaurant sanitation scores where the higher the score, the better, pool sanitation scores rack up demerit points. More demerit points mean more violations.

One of the first things checked is water quality. The water needs to be clear enough to see the drain at the bottom.

Then, chlorine and PH levels are examined. 

Inspectors also check safety equipment and whether the emergency phone is working.

The worst-scoring pool this summer was at Bradford Crossing Apartments, 835 Navaho Drive in Raleigh, according to inspection reports. With 50 demerit points, the owners were denied a permit to operate.

The pool was cited for not having enough chlorine, having walls and floors that were not clean and the presence of algae.

“My brothers were sad,” Brandford Crossing resident Yara Bernal said. “I was, like, kind of grossed out.”

Bradford Crossing's pool has since been re-inspected and received just eight demerit points. It is now open.

The second worst-scoring pool of the summer was at the Best Western, 2715 Capital Blvd. in Raleigh. With 34 demerit points, its permit was also denied.

Best Western’s problem included low-chlorine levels and a broken emergency phone. The fence around the pool was also not up to code.

The pool at the Wingate by Wyndham, 2610 Westinghouse Blvd. in Raleigh, also failed to get a permit because of violations.

When WRAL News called the hotel’s front desk on Wednesday, a worker said the pool was open.

A total of 24 pools did not get their permit or were shut down this summer. Of those, 13 were at apartments, six were at hotels, four were community pools and one was a private school pool.