Is this normal procedure?

[JerseyMamaBear]

That happened to us at the CBR, I noticed it, notified the staff and the Imed cleared the pool to clean it. When people started to ask them what happend they were very Disney about it and simple stated the chemicals in the pool were off and needed to be corrected. Handled it very well.

 

[carol-lamb]

In my city, we have an outdoor pool and they close it all the time if there is an accident in the pool. My husband and my daughter used to go to the pool all the time in the summer and it was always closing. If it was early in the day, it would be closed for several hours. If it was later in the day, they would close until the next day. It got to be a real pain. My husband would always joke with my daughter when they would be leaving for the pool about whether or not there would be a poop alert that day!

 

[DisneyDotty]

We were fortunate to witness a "Code P" (as the CM's called it) at the Disneyland Hotel pool. The pool was closed for an hour afterwards, and yes, the CMs said that happens several times a week.
Love these scatological threads!

 

[BarleyJack]

That's what happens when you drop the kids off at the pool

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

On DCL, don't they close the pools when there is a bodily accident? Someone said they even go so far as to drain them, which I'm not sure about. I don't think it was much to expect that they would at least test the water.

 

[Linzybrooke]

I can't tell from the original post if it was urine or poo... If its urine then of course they wouldn't close it down, poo is another story.

 

[seashoreCM]

If solid matter (such as feces) persists in the pool, it takes awhile for the chlorinated water to soak in and kill the bacteria in the middle. Liquid matter commingles with the chlorinated water so bacteria are killed more quickly. The more quickly solid matter can be captured by strainers or nets, the more quickly the pool can be returned to service.

A person taking a gulp of water and letting the water run back out of his mouth releases far more bacteria into the pool than a person urinating.

"Shocking" the pool: Additional disinfectant may be added to the water, in the vicinity of the accident if known. It may take awhile for the disinfectant to become diluted enough to not irritate skin, notably the inside of the mouth when someone takes a gulp, so the pool is closed for awhile.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Patti O'Furniture]

A likely story.

If that were actually true, there would be no public pools open... EVER!

Oh yes true - but not for 24 hours. At our pool club - they will close for 15 - 20 minutes to vacuum up the spillage and then treat the pool. Yep spitting up will cause it.

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

On DCL, don't they close the pools when there is a bodily accident? Someone said they even go so far as to drain them, which I'm not sure about. I don't think it was much to expect that they would at least test the water.

On DCL, I think they shut down for urinary accidents, as well as poo. They drain, scrub, and then refill the pool.

I think the reason DCL is so strict has something to do with how much chemical they can use. I know kids HAVE to be potty trained for DCL. No swim diapers allowed at ALL.

Just because I have OCD and think about stuff like this ALL the time and want to share my neuroses with all of you (cuz I love ya!): Okay, so everyone says they should have shut everything down for a piece of poo in the pool. Granted, I would agree. However, what about a kid in a swim diaper? If a child poos in a swim diaper while in water to his waist....the bacteria from said poo is just seeping into the water, too, isn't it?? More so than free floating poo, which would be spotted and removed quickly (I would hope). So at any given time, there may be mucho poo bacteria hanging out.

Think about that for more than a minute and you have a short glimpse into the fear-ridden chaos that is my brain.

Seriously though, Disney uses the maximum chlorine load allowed in those pools, more than most public pools. The guy with the foot sores....I can't think about that or I will never swim again.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I think swim diapers are disgusting! That **** is gross!

 

[Terapin]

From a public health perspective, the handles on doors and the bars on rides carry as much, if not more, fecal bacteria.

And the truth is, our bodies can handle the fecal bacteria, for the most part, unless you are immunocompromised, have open sores, or the amount is just too high for your body to deal with.

Not that floaters are pleasant - but personally, I would be happy if they were removed, extra chemicals were added, and the pool was reopened with the chemicals were down to an acceptable level. (And maybe I might even prefer the bacteria to harsh chemicals!)

 

[orchjoe]

No, you're not. . .

DOODIE!!!!

To the OP, was this what the Maintanence guy looked like?

"A diarrheal fecal accident is a higher risk event than a formed stool accident. With most diarrheal illnesses, the number of infectious germs found in each bowel movement decreases as the diarrhea stops and the person’s bowel movements return to normal. Therefore, a formed stool is probably less of a risk than a diarrheal accident that you may not see."

The maintence worker would have been ok then right???

 

[DOOM1001]

I know when I go to a waterpark,Disney or any other that it's not the most hygienic experience.For me the most disgusting thing that goes on at a waterpark is having to go into a bathroom barefoot.I pretty much know that there's kids and probably adults going number 1 in the wave pools and lazy rivers.I know that and try to not think about it when I'm there,but if I see anything resembling a snickers bar in the water,well that would just be too much and I would flip out!!

 

[Shorty82]

Disney uses a LOT more chemicals in all their pools than the normal public pool. This alone takes care of the big majority of any incidents.

They can't go shutting down pools in a water park on a guest's word alone. If they did the pools would always be shutting down, from practical jokers if nothing else.

 

[WendyLovesPeter]

Sorry to have to say that if you go to public pools, this is just a fact of life.

a physician I work with states "a public pool is nothing but a big, pretty blue toilet"

 

[carissanboys]

When I lived in Australia, there were lots of incidences of kids pooing in the water. If poo was found, they closed the pool while they did tests and cleaned. But, they also had 3 pools so if one was closed, usually the other two were still open.

 

[mama4]

My son is a lifeguard at our country club pools (there are two.) We saw two "code Ps" last summer and the pools were promptly closed and treated- but no they weren't drained. He participated in draining a pool for routine purposes one time and it took them (two guys but small pool) the whole day. They drained it, pressure washed it, did some other stuff I'm sure, then refilled, treated, tested and he didn't get home until after dark.

 

[cabanafrau]

Trip planning note to self -- won't need water parks & more option, have no desire for what you get in "& more"

 

[sunking]

We returned last weekend from a trip to the "World". We stayed at Wilderness Lodge and wanted to spend one of our afternoons at the pool. We went down to the pool and from a distance noticed that there was noone in the pool. Thought it is was bit odd. As we walked up to the pool we saw the lifeguards dumping chemicals into the pool by the bagfull. Asked what happened and we were told that someone had an "accident" in the pool. They thought they might be able to reopen later that afternoon but water testing would have to be done.

We decided to sit in the hottub for a bit, afterall, we were in our swimsuits. We watched and they continued to dump in chemical after chemical and perform numerous tests of the water. After about 1 hour a guy that was clearly management came out and did a water test and they immediately put up a "pool closed due to equipment failure" sign on both sides of the pool.

We came down 2 days later to take a swim and asked why the pool was so cold. It was because during the "accident" and the recovery they could not run the heating system so the pool cooled some.

Overall, I think the staff at WL took good care of the situation and handled it well.

 

[melly]

This thread reminds me of when I was a little kid. I went swimming with my mum and told her I needed a wee. She quietly whispered for me to just do it in the pool. So I climbed out of the pool, stood on the side, dropped my trunks down to my ankles (as kids do) and p1$$ed into the water

She never took me there again.