The number of pools in Southern California has been fluctuating for a while now. Things are always changing, and the way that pools are purchased in Southern California is certainly one of them. Let’s take a look at how this has been changing over the last 10 years, and what to expect going forward.

A Brief History

Southern California is known for swimming pools all over the world. There is no avoiding it. Due to the weather, many people in this area have swimming pools, and have had for years. In 2016, there were roughly 250,000 pools in Los Angeles alone, despite the fact that the state is located close to the Pacific Ocean.

It’s important to understand that there was a huge push towards having your own swimming pool back in the 1900’s due to the status it allowed you. However, for years now it has been doing far more harm than good. 

When the first drought of the 2010’s was announced, Santa Cruz banned residents from filling their pools entirely. Not all of the counties followed this rule though, and while the difference made from Santa Cruz was great, it wasn’t enough.

This dramatically decreased the amount of pools in that area, and some of the surrounding areas, while not implementing this rule, saw a drop in their pools as well. Over the last year, only around 1,100 permits were approved for pools, which is significantly less than in previous years. This doesn’t bode well for pool contractors in Los Angeles though.

As such, the amount of pools over the last decade has been fluctuating massively. With the beginning of the 2010’s seeing hundreds of thousands of pools, this dropped down in the mid-2010’s, only to rise again around 2018. Now, in 2021, it seems to be easing off a little again, so predictions for the future can only ever be that, predictions.

What Is Expected Going Forward?

That brings us right up to date, and looking to the future. It’s the time of a drought, and everyone knows it. The problem with this is that not everyone is willing to give up their pool. Around 20 years ago, a study was completed that showed an average swimming pool loses around 20,000 gallons of water per year due to evaporation. 

The best way to move forward is to stop having so many uncovered pools in the area. For those who want pools, it’s essential to keep them covered in order to reduce water wastage. 

In 2015, it was announced that Southern California needed to reduce their water usage by around 25%. But now, it’s even worse and unless the people of Southern California are prepared for brown lawns, water usage needs to be reduced again.

However, a lot of people are turning towards public pools now, which could be the change that is needed. With pools reopening again after the last year and a half of being closed due to the pandemic, this could help.

Now in 2021, water usage needs to decrease again, signaling pools to be the biggest problem. Can Southern California reduce the amount of pools that they have? Can they make the necessary changes? That remains to be seen.