There was a time when backyard swimming pools were synonymous with life in urban Arizona.
Nowadays, one in six pool owners surveyed say they’d like to get rid of their pools.
This statistic comes from PoolRemovalHelp.org, a website that guides pool owners through the removal process.
In addition to summarizing the features of this website, this episode also takes a look at pool removal rebates available to residents of Scottsdale, Arizona.
Transcript
INTRO: From Tucson, Arizona, welcome to the Water Harvesting 101 podcast. My name is Martha Retallick. I’ve been a water harvester for 20 years, and I’m looking forward to helping you get started.
Before we do that, here’s a little Tucson secret: For most of the year, we’re in drought. That’s just how life is in the desert.
But when the rains return, oh, do they ever. They often bring an unwelcome friend called flooding.
How do we reduce the risks of flooding? We do it with water harvesting.
Water harvesting encompasses three activities:
- Redirecting rainwater away from where it isn’t wanted to where it is.
- Storing rainwater for later use, for example, during a drought.
- Recycling “used” water. At my place, I don’t let laundry water go down the drain. Instead, it’s for the fruit trees.
We’ll be covering all of these topics and more, so let’s get started.
EPISODE: This is a topic that’s going to really resonate with some people. Others will be wondering why would anybody ever want one of those things in the first place. They’re expensive!
I’m talking about backyard swimming pools.
And did you know that here in Tucson, Arizona, we reached peak swimming pool back in the 1970s? Meaning that the backyard swimming pool has become less and less popular ever since.
So what if you’d like to get rid of your pool? Can you do that?
Absolutely! Yes!
I recommend taking a look at a website called PoolRemovalHelp.org.
While this website has a lot of information that is specific to southern Arizona, it also has things that are useful over a wider area, like the savings estimator, removal options, pool removal benefits, and who removes pools – that’s a list of contractors.
In addition, there’s also a story of a homeowner who removed the pool and is very happy to have that item off of his to-do list. According to this homeowner, pools are holes into which you pour time, energy, and money.
And a lot of money. The water bill alone is expensive. There’s no other way to put it.
Here’s another not-so-fun fact about pools: You put 10,000 to 25,000 gallons of water in that thing every year, and it all evaporates. Talk about throwing your money away, especially if you’re not using the pool.
You’ve got the water bill. You’ve got the electric bill for running the pump. There are supplies. You need to filter that water. You need chemicals. You need servicing. As pools get older, they need repairs, and those repairs can really cost money.
If you have a pool, your insurance company knows it. Oh, my goodness, does it ever. So does your local taxing authority for your property tax. On and on and on the list of expenses go.
So let’s look at removing the pools. In Scottsdale, Arizona, which is one of our state’s most affluent cities, there is a pool removal rebate.
Please know that this rebate is only available for a limited time each year. When those rebate dollars are gone, they don’t come back for a while. So, take note of that if you live in Scottsdale.
If you’re outside of Arizona, know this about Scottsdale. This is one of the most affluent cities in the state of Arizona. If they are starting to incentivize pool removal, take notice of that. Because in Arizona, backyard pools are declining in popularity.
On the pool removal front, you can have the entire thing just taken out of your backyard and taken away. That’s the most expensive option, and that’s going to run you $6,000 to $10,000, possibly even more than that. Your situation depends on what you have in your backyard.
You can also, down at the cheap end, just fill the pool with dirt. Drill a hole in the bottom first. You want to have some way for that water to drain out, as in, that water that falls from the sky.
Then you can do whatever with it. You could plant a desert garden back there. Enjoy watching the birds instead of cleaning the pool. (See above photo.)
Here’s another benefit of removing the pool. It’s not like a helicopter is going to be dropping money into your backyard all at once.
But, over time, you are going to notice savings, most notably on the water bill, and the electric bill. If you heated your pool with a gas heater, well, that bill will go down too.
Your insurance should go down. Your property tax should go down. It may take a few years for you to recoup the cost of having your pool removed and notice the savings, but, in time, they will come.
So, maybe, just maybe, it is time for you to say goodbye to the backyard swimming pool.
If you’d like to learn more about water harvesting, sign up for my monthly email newsletter. If you do, I’ll give you a free copy of my Water Harvesting Cheat Sheet.
And if you’d like to support the Water Harvesting 101 podcast, the PayPal email address is info@westernskycommunications.com.
OUTRO: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Water Harvesting 101 podcast. If you’d like to learn more about water harvesting, meet my book family.
First, it’s City Nature, the book that’s guaranteed to look great on any coffee table. City Nature reveals my secrets to water harvesting through my 20-year journey of transforming my Tucson home into an urban oasis. Get the details at CityNatureBook.com.
And if you’re on the go, take water harvesting with you. Water Harvesting 101 is an audiobook and eBook combination that will teach you the nuts and bolts of water harvesting and show you how to put them to work. Available exclusively at WaterHarvesting101Book.com.