"After analyzing the water chemistry at the Sapphire Pointe HOA Swimming Pool, I have determined that the cloudy water conditions at the pool are mostly a result of having too much Cyanuric Acid (CYA) present in the water. While CYA itself is essentially harmless, it does cause a condition known as over-stabilization. Once a pool has become over-stabilized the chlorine can no longer work correctly.
CYA is a chemical designed to stabilize against UV rays from the sun. In the case of Sapphire Pointe, the CYA levels have raised because the type of chlorine that the pool uses, Tri-Chlor, has CYA mixed in with the chlorine. Without converting the system to use a different type of chlorine there is no other option but to use Tri-Chlor.
Although all pools respond to chemicals differently due to their various configurations, equipment, and bather load, over-stabilization can generally be seen as the CYA levels approach 60 parts per million (PPM). The CYA level at the Sapphire Pointe pool is at least 140ppm.
To reduce this level there is really only one effective solution, which is to drain the pool completely and refill it. Often we can simply dilute the water in a pool to keep the CYA levels under control. However, in this situation even if we were to drain the pool 2/3 of the way down and refill it from there, we will still have a level of nearly 50ppm CYA; a level that is already a border line high level.
If the pool is going to be clear and warm by the 4th of July weekend, we need to act immediately. It will most likely take 8-12 hours to drain the pool completely. After the pool is drained there are two options for refilling it. We can use the water supply from the clubhouse, which would probably take the better part of two days. Also, the HOA could contact the local water district to obtain a permit to fill the pool using a fire hydrant; this method would probably have the pool filled in less than 5 hours. Once the pool is filled it will probably take about two days for the water temperature to be swimmable and an additional day for the temperature to come all the way up to 84."