Pool inspections reveal serious safety violations

CLEVELAND - A Five On Your Side investigation into local pools has turned up serious safety violations that can contribute to disease and infections.

Cuyahoga County Board of Health inspection records found serious violations, including the lack of proper chlorine levels.

Program Manager Barry Grisez said up to 60 pools fail inspection every year for violations that range from chlorine levels to mechanical issues to lack of proper gating.

"Anybody could be carrying any kind of bacteria, virus--anything like that at any given time," warns Grisez.

Health inspectors check more than 400 pools across Cuyahoga County every summer at least twice.

Nationwide, one in eight swimming pools were shut down because of dirty water or other serious code violations, according to a 2008 report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Each year, 15 to 20 outbreaks of diseases, including stomach bugs and diarrhea, are blamed on dirty public pools, according to the CDC.

For more on summer water safety from the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, click here .