September 10, 2026: Biofilm

Greetings,

I spent a very productive day on the road across Alberta yesterday, visiting with clients & colleagues at six different aquatic facilities, ranging from huge RV resort to spa, sauna club, hotel and municipality. Somehow, I always underestimate how long it's actually going to take me to finalize the newsletter, so thanks for being here with me on a Thursday.

I went to the dentist last week, and I want to share why I'm so excited about improvements in dental hygiene and how it could eventually transform pool operations and water quality.

Dentistry is not necessarily a field where we tend to think about innovation, but my dentist's office is one I've stuck with for almost 10 years - despite being more expensive than other providers in my area - because the customer service, attention to detail, and care have always impressed me as a business owner. (Why nickel & dime price when the quality & value are exceptional?) Part of their business model is also routinely being early adopters of new technologies.

Last week I went for a cleaning, and the hygienist informed me that it would take a bit longer than normal because they are three months into transitioning all patients to this new Swiss technology called GBT that identifies biofilm!! The cleaning takes the same amount of time, but part of their customer service is explaining all aspects of the science, procedure, the reason for switch, etc.

Essentially, a tiny powder (less than 1 micron in size) derived from the sweetener Xylitol is applied to your teeth. The powder will mark your biofilm. The darker the colour, the newer the biofilm. I was told my dark purple means the biofilm is less than 24 hours old versus, say, a teenager who doesn't brush for days would have a paler purple or even pink markers. Apologies for the jump scare!

The hygienist goes through the process of buffing your teeth as normal, but with a high speed water gun instead of grinding or sanding tools. It is definitely messier, even with a bib - I felt like I got a facial from the mist - but the results were undeniable. It is literally impossible to leave the dental chair with biofilm remaining because it's marked present or absent. Further, there are added benefits such as the xylitol inhibiting further bacteria growth in your mouth and some other details I'll direct you to my dentist's website to explain. You can also watch a promotional treatment video from the manufacturer here.

I didn't realize as a pool professional (until last week's visit) that biofilm = dental plaque, and hardened biofilm = tartar.

The reason I find this so exciting is biofilm is a nefarious, ongoing issue in pool operations. We're not just talking about the visible scum line at the pool's edge that collects the "body butter" off our swimmers, but core components of the system like skimmers, gutters, surge/balance tanks - especially ones that are unfinished (i.e. raw concrete instead of tile) - have been shown to be major points of (re)contamination. What would it mean if we could mark pool biofilm and successfully target cleaning it?! Here's to hoping we can take dental advances like this and eventually bring them into pool operations.

NOTE: the cost of the technology is more certainly expensive than traditional hygienist time scaling units. However, as someone who pays out of pocket (without health insurance), the staff explained their business model will be to keep costs comparable (more expensive tech, but fewer minutes to clean) because it's an advantage to patients long-term to use this technology; they don't want to charge more now, have patients opt out, and need more expensive remedial care later.

Lastly, now would be a good time to mention ICYMI that we do have a video on the YouTube channel from a researcher who talks about her dissertation based on measuring pee in swimming pools based on undigested levels of synthetic sweetener in the water!

Last week, the aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln docked for leave in Thailand after an extended 286 deployment at sea. Many people outside of the maritime/naval industry commented on the state of the vessel. See this video as an example.

However, I want to use this as a very concrete comparison to pools: we run our aquatic facilities 24/7/365. Even if they're not accessed by bathers at 2am, the equipment is constantly running. The usage/operating hours are high; you're going to reach those maintenance thresholds for equipment much sooner than you might realize only working five days per week. That's why it is IMPERATIVE every aquatic facility have an annual shutdown. Period. I will die on this hill.

Clients routinely tell me, "We don't have anything big to do this year, so we're going to wait until next year to shutdown/drain." There is always work developing at your pool, whether you see it, choose to address it or not.

This ship couldn't do the maintenance, so now it's going to into extended dry dock for an overhaul that's takes it out of service. Your pool is not fighting a war (that precludes it from being maintained), it has no reason not to be taken offline once a year, so don't delay: what you resist will persist. See also the image at the bottom of today's newsletter. 👇

Here's everything else I think you should know about in our industry this week.

That smartphone in your employee’s pocket? Well, it’s also a witness
"The legal principle is old: failure to keep proper records is at the employer’s peril. What is new is that the other side now arrives at the hearing with records of its own." (emphasis added)

Golden faces $13 – $26 million decision on future of community pool

Ottawa, Fredericton spending $15 million on indoor pool

Cambridge seeing an increase in aggressive behaviour towards staff
This is an older article I found in a pile of Saved posts on LinkedIn (anyone else have this problem, or is it just me?) I want to reshare it because the problem of increasingly-aggressive customers continues to be a major workplace health & safety risk at a lot of aquatic facilities.

San Diego city to close community pools due to budget cuts

A hockey dad’s sexual assault conviction raises difficult safeguarding question for son’s team
I experienced something similar when I worked at a swimming pool where the dad of one of our Olympic swimmers had a lifetime ban from coaching swimming , but was entitled to sit and watch his child practice.

Insane situational awareness from this lifeguard as he spots a drowning kid surrounded by people
This is a great teaching video, but there's no way to link directly to it.

Brisbane City Council tightens rules on camera-enabled and recording devices at public pools

Brent Hayden's comments on the new City of North Vancouver pool
So many people sent me this post over the weekend that I made a video to provide valuable context as to how this (continues to) happen in 2026.

Chula Vista resort reopens pools after investigation into parasite exposure

Alberta drownings more than double so far in 2026, preliminary report indicates

New Great Bend pool put on pause; old pool to reopen next summer
The bid was higher because that's likely what it currently costs to build that project in the current (difficult) market conditions.

Outdoor pool to reopen after sewage overflow

Why the Best Ocean Swimming Happens in Sea Pools

Great Stirrup Cay's Great Tides Waterpark opens with a splash

The Space Between: Why Our Greatest Safety Risks Live in the Gaps We Don’t Think We Own
"Professionals across safety, policing and event operations have long recognized that the most unpredictable moments happen where jurisdictions overlap." Think about different areas in your building: what is a pool responsibility, facilities responsibility, employer/health & safety responsibility, customer service responsibility, etc. The operational gap I continue to see is the confusion over who's responsible.

NRPA Statement on Meta Settlement Recommendations

Pool and hot tub draining
Driving around Sherwood Park, AB yesterday, Katie saw this excellent campaign educating residents about how to drain residential pools & tubs at the end of the summer.

Province rejects calls to install rescue equipment at B.C. lakes, despite surge in drownings

Fourteen men go on trial in Paris over deadliest small-boat Channel crossing

Thanks so much for being here with me & happy fall!

Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.

No AI tools were used to research, consolidate, format or write any portion of this newsletter.