If your pool is located anywhere near your grass, you are bound to get at least some pool water on your lawn. We all know that water is what makes your lawn healthy and green, but what about chemically treated pool water? Will pool water kill your grass?
The main chemical in pool water is chlorine. It is responsible for disinfecting, killing bacteria and eliminating algae. While this is a powerful chemical, your lawn can withstand chlorine when it is diluted by thousands of gallons of water. Pool water containing chlorine and other common pool chemicals will generally not harm your grass. As a way to conserve water, there are people who actually use pool water to water their grass when the water is no longer needed.
While pool water will likely not damage your grass, if you happen to pour a large amount of chlorine on your lawn, it will kill it. You can see the results of an excessive amount of chlorine on a lawn via these pictures from the Iowa State University website. The damage was caused by too much water making its way into the recycled water that was used to irrigate the field pictured.
In the rare case you knowingly expose your lawn to an excessive amount of chlorine, you should dilute the area with water immediately. This will give your grass a chance at survival. If your grass dies from chlorine toxicity, you should allow several weeks for the chlorine to dilute from rain and/or watering before reseeding or sodding. Your new grass will not grow if you do not give it ample time to rid itself of the excessive chlorine in the soil.
If you suspect pool water killed your lawn, we would strongly suggest looking at other potential sources. Fungal diseases, grubs/pests, pet urine, excessive fertilizer, poor soil, and several other sources may be the cause. It may be very difficult to determine the culprit, but the good news is that you don’t have to worry about toning down the summer pool fun!
