Non-Chlorinated Swimming Pools

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Need non-chlorinated pool for daughter's therapy

May 2013

My lovely 32-year old daughter needs a non-chlorinated pool where she swim to treat her back pain. She has had two failed back surgeries since she turned 20, and now is trying to deal with chronic pain. Water walking really helps, but the chlorine makes her feel nauseous. She would like to be able to visit twice a week. We could pay for access to a privat pool. She lives in the Piedmon/Oakland area and has a car. Nancy in SF

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Hopefully you can find something closer to Oakland, but if not the Plunge (public) in Pt. Richmond uses UV filtration and other non-chlorine methods, maybe some peroxide. Lakeridge Athletic Club (private, El Sobrante) has a low chlorine saline pool- I think they combine low chlorine with other methods of cleaning/ decontaminating. Both are very large pools with areas for laps only. Lakeridge has a hot tub to warm up after- but I believe that does have a lot of chlorine. My favorite pool is at Indian Springs in Calistoga- mineral pool (one olympic sized and one smaller which is adult only) heated by geysers- not for regular therapy but would be a great little getaway destination. Chris

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I don't have a definitive answer but I've heard that Oakland's deFremery Pool is salt water (not chlorinated), though only open mid-June through October. A quick web search for non-chlorinated pools also brought up Mills College's pool, the Richmond Plunge and the Temescal Pool. I hope you find what you're seeking. happy swimming

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Harbor bay athletic club in alameda (bay farm island part of alameda) has a large saline/salt pool. The Richmond Natatorium aka Richmond plunge in Point Richmond is an enormous pool, also saline. I'm not allergic but always hated swimming in pools, until, I experienced a saline pool. LOVE, love, love swimming now. ~found my inner mermaid

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I think Orinda Park Pool is salt, not chlorine. There may be stairs to the gate though. The parking is great. Been there once...

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Indoor non-chlorinated pool for swimming w/ babies

April 2011

Looking for an indoor pool where we can swim with our babies and perhaps do swimming lessons. Non-chlorinated preferred. Debra

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I'm pretty sure the Richmond Plunge in Point Richmond is non-chlorinated. Plus, it was recently renovated, has a very gradually sloped shallow end (good for babies) and is just beautiful. You could check on line about lessons and schedules. liz

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I encourage you to check out the Richmond Plunge (actually located in Pt. Richmond). http://www.richmondplunge.org/index.html

It has been beautifully restored and has a huge space to swim with kids that is shallower than most kids pools (only approx. 2.5 ft at the lowest). I believe they use saline and not chlorine & is all solar heated, but could not find the info. on their website. The only downside is that, in my opinion, it seems a bit cooler inside than it should be, but then maybe when you're not swimming, one can get cold more easily. Good luck....... anon

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Non-chlorinated swimming pool

April 2008

I want to start swimming with my 2 month old but don't want him being in all the chlorine. I have been reading about ozone pools where they don't use any chemicals. Are there any pools around that we can go to? Willing to drive fairly far, he loves the water so much. mom of a swimming baby

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This probably isn't appropriate for a two-month-old, but by June or July you might find it to be a good option: Lake Temescal, near the junction of Hwys 24 and 13, is a lovely little gem of a lake managed by the East Bay Regional Parks District. At this time of year the water is too cold for little ones, but during the warm days of summer the water in the shallows gets quite warm, and the sandy beach is a hit with toddlers. You can find info on the EBRPD website. Carrie

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I did an extensive search for non-chlorine pools in the greater Bay Area about 3 years ago. I got alot of leads that turned out not to be chorine-free. The best I found was in Santa Rosa, a low-chlorine city pool where they make their own chlorine from salt, and the concentration is MUCH lower. It's Ridgeway Pool, (707) 543-3421, but that's still at least an hour away from Berkeley. Also,Ridgeway doesn't use muriatic acid, which is a chemical used in most public pools and may be more hazardous to our health than chorine. Some of the Cal pools used to use bromine, which is similar to chorine, but more benign for some people. As far as I know, Cal has converted all their pools to chlorine, because it's much cheaper. I actually looked seriously into the idea of building a pool in our backyard, but decided not to because of the expense. I hope someone answers your question with some new info about a pool I don't know about! mwk

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I have the idea that the lap pool at El Cerrito Swim Center is not chlorinated, but only found this info on the website: ''What types of chemicals are in the water? In order to keep the water sanitary and safe and adhere to health regulations we use liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite), Hydrochloric acid, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and calcium chloride.'' I guess you can call to find out. we love the el cerrito pool

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June 2006

I am looking for a non-chlorinated pool in the Berkeley area, or else for someone with a private pool who would accept a modest financial donation (or trade) in exchange for regular lap usage. Any ideas out there? I know the non-chlorine question has been asked before on this list, but not recently. Many thanks! Jane

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the pool at the el cerrito community center on moser lane is not chlorinated. it is bromine (sic), and the pool itself is a gorgeous lap pool. the lap times can be spotty, and the masters swim a lot. i believe the week day times are 6-8 and 10-1 right now, but you can get a schedule from the front desk. you can get a 10 swim pass for about 50.00 juliet

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Feb 2005

I am looking for an enzyme pool in the East Bay. Our son (15 mos) loves to be in the water, but I am reluctant to let him swim/take swim lessons in a clorinated pool due to his somewhat severe eczema. Is there one out there? Thanks! Nancy

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This question--which pools have no chlorine?--was asked (for an adult) in Sept. 2004. To the best of my recollection, the only answer given, which I'll repeat, was to swim in a freshwater lake such as Lake Anza. David

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Sept 2004

I am looking for a non-chlorine swimming pool to swim in, in or near Berkeley. I've become allergic to chlorine, and swimming is my favorite form of exercise by far. I would love to find a private or public pool using an alternative form of water cleaning. I'd be more than happy to pay someone a monthly fee to swim (2-3x week) in a backyard pool, and would be very respectful of their place and schedule. If I don't find a pool to swim in regularly, I'd consider building a lap pool, and would then be seeking to try out someone else's non-chlorine pool a few times to make sure my body could handle the filtering/cleaning method. I'd be really grateful for any offers, possibilities - swimming lights me up and puts me in great shape! mwk

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If you can't find such a pool, you could swim in Lake Anza, weather permitting. David