Warsaw: tons of swimming pool water poured into city cleaning

The measure is part of the city’s efforts to manage water in a more rational way

For the third year in a row, Warsaw is using water from municipal swimming pools for cleaning purposes. By doing this the Polish capital uses efficiently the water from these facilities, instead of letting it go to waste. At the same time, they save tons of good water in the cleaning process, thereby adapting to the effects of climate change, such as extreme drought.

Reducing water consumption while preventing waste in Warsaw

During holiday breaks, some municipal swimming pools must be drained completely and the water – replaced for technical and sanitary reasons. This enormous amount of water usually goes into the sewage system. But as of 2020, it no longer turns into a wasted resource, as Warsaw has adopted a more rational approach to water management and city cleaning.

In particular, instead of going to the sewage system, swimming pool water is being pumped into street sweeping and cleaning machines. It is then integrated into the city cleaning process – washing the streets and tramway tracks. Authorities ensure that the water has been disinfected and is neutral to people and the environment.

“Water reuse is one of the ecological measures that can alleviate the current difficult hydrological situation… In the face of global climate change and the increasing threat of drought, it is important to remember how valuable water is and how important it is to manage it rationally,” commented Robert Szymański, deputy technical director of the City Cleaning Board as quoted on the city website.

The project involves several cooperating partners: the city, the cleaning authority and the volunteer fire department, which provides the necessary technical equipment. Since their cooperation began in 2020, seven swimming pools have joined the action, pouring a total of almost 5 million litres of water into cleaning, and filling cleaning machines 450 times.

Warsaw's streets are cleaned once a week.