Icon (Close Menu)

Logout

Fire Dampens Pool PlansLock Icon

2 min read

Chlorine is in short supply, and it’s likely going to be more expensive as a result, thanks to Bio-Lab Chemicals, a major pool chemical manufacturing plant in Louisiana, burning down in August.

Patti Rogers, certified water care expert at Lindsey’s Pools & Spas in Bryant, and a store manager at Martin Pools in Little Rock who requested anonymity for personal safety, said the plant produced 75%-80% of the chlorine for the world market.

Rogers said there are two other plants that produce the other 20% or so, but they aren’t able to offset that production loss. Demand has increased at Lindsey’s because customers are “panicking,” she said.

Rogers said, “And it is our understanding that we are not going to get any more chlorine until next year, so what we have in the store is what we have.” Her store has limited sales to one bucket of tablets per customer in an effort to serve as many customers as possible.

Martin Pools is not raising its prices for now, and it has also been limiting customers to three buckets of tablets per household.

The Martin Pools manager also said a workforce shortage on the manufacturing side is compounding the shortage caused by the fire. There are alternative options available though.

Pool owners can bring water samples into her store and use other forms of chlorine or different chemicals instead of the tablets that are the main victims of the shortage, she said.

Send this to a friend