Chlorine in swimming pool water is extremely toxic to fish and stream invertebrates, so if you are cleaning out your pool for summer, consider these options to ensure the water is disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner:

• Hire an appropriately qualified contractor to suck out and dispose of your swimming pool water.

• Let pool water stand for two-weeks without ‘dosing’. Use as much as you can to water your garden (or let it soak into the lawn) and let the remainder drain at no more than two litres per second into the wastewater system.

• Keep the flow ‘slow’, because the wastewater pipes have a limited capacity – discharging large volumes of water too quickly could cause sewage overflows.

Your connection to the wastewater system is usually via the drain/gully trap outside your kitchen or bathroom. For pumping options, please contact a local pool supplier/contractor.

• Do not direct pool water into the stormwater system, because this leads to our streams and waterways – damaging stream life.