Area pools are opening

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It’s that time of year ... As the temperature begins to warm up Bureau County, you can count on area swimming pools to keep you cool.

The swimming pool in Walnut opens Saturday, as does the Spring Valley Coveny Pool. The Alexander Park Pool in Princeton opens June 7. All opening dates are weather permitting.

In Walnut, regular pool hours are 1 to 5 p.m. daily. As the season progresses, the pool is also open in the evenings. Admission price is $4 daily with a discount for senior citizens. Admission price after 5 p.m. is $2.

In Spring Valley, weekday hours are from 10 a.m. to noon for adults only. The pool opens for all swimmers from noon to 5 p.m. Weekend hours are from noon to 6 p.m. Admission prices are: 3 and under, $1; 18 and under, $2.50; 19 and older, $3;  and senior citizens, $2.50. Season passes are available. The pool can also be reserved for pool parties and offers public and private lessons.

Hours at the Alexander Park Pool are noon to 7 p.m. daily. The pool is open for an adult swim on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon. Holiday hours are noon to 5 p.m. Admission prices are: Children 3 and under, free; youths 4 to 17, $3.50; child care provider with a child, $3.50; adults 18 to 59, $4; senior citizens 60 and over, $3.50; and families (up to six people) $8. Swimming lessons and season rates are available.

As children gear up for the swimming season, the Consumer Product Safety Commission urges parents/adults to review water safety with the children in their households. Each year, 260 children under the age of 5 drown in swimming pools — both public and private. In addition, the suction from drains in swimming pools and spas, under certain conditions, can trap swimmers under water. To help protect your family, THE CPSC urges you to take the following steps:

• Use layers of protection. To prevent swimming pool drownings, layers of protection are essential.  Place barriers completely around the pool, closely supervise young children, and be prepared in case of emergency.

• If a child is missing, always look first in the pool. Seconds count!

• Knowing how to swim doesn’t make a child drown-proof. Never use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.

• Keep rescue equipment and a phone next to the pool.

• Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

• Install physical barriers around the pool to limit access. Fences and walls should be at least        4-feet high and installed completely around the pool. Gates should be self-closing and         self-latching. The latch should be out of reach of small children.

• If your house forms one side of the barrier for the pool, doors leading from the house to the pool should be protected with alarms that sound when the doors are unexpectedly opened. Or, use a power safety cover, a motor-powered barrier placed over the water area, to prevent access by young children.

• For above-ground pools, steps and ladders to the pool should be secured or removed when the pool is not in use.

• Never use a pool or spa with a missing or broken drain cover. Be sure a newer, safer drain cover is in place. The new drain covers are usually domed-shaped, instead of the old flat drain covers.

• Consider installing a Safety Vacuum Release System, a device that will automatically shut off a pump if a blockage is detected.

• Have a professional regularly inspect your pool or spa for entrapment or entanglement hazards.

• Plainly mark the location of the electrical cut-off switch for the pool or spa pump.

• If someone is entrapped against a drain, cut off the pump immediately. Instead of trying to pull the person away from the powerful suction, pry a hand between the drain and the person’s body to break the seal.

For more information,  call the CPSC Hotline at (800) 638-2772.

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