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EL PASO COUNTY, COLO. -- Good news for local swimmers, El Paso County is once again inspecting public pools and spas.

In 2008, budget challenges forced the county to suspend its Public Pool and Spa Education and Inspection Program.

The reinstatement was approved by the El Paso County Board of Health last November, but the inspections did not get underway until April 1, 2012.

One of the county's inspectors did checks on Wilson Ranch Community Pool this week.

"We are making our inspection process just a little more condensed," Mike McCarthy, Supervisor of Environmental Health Services, said.

McCarthy said that allows his team to do more with less, although the process he said extends far beyond pool filters.

"We are looking for the public health significant things," McCarthy said. "We are making sure the pool is clear and you can see the bottom, and that there is the right water chemistry."

To do that, a sample of water is tested for the right combination of chlorine and PH levels.

"We also want to make sure they report any diseases or accidents that may occur in the pool," McCarthy said.

And there is more, as a series of pipes and filters in the pump room constantly re-circulate the water.

"They look really close at flow rates that are going through the pump," McCarthy said. "When they start to slow down, that means we might have a filter issue."

He said Wilson Ranch Pool turns over its water four times per day.

"Not having healthy water to swim in is not a good," Brandy Kimes, Wilson Ranch Pool Manager, said. "There are 180,000 gallons of water in the pool, and you can have mold and all kinds of stuff."

McCarthy said seasonal pools are inspected once per summer, while year-round facilities are checked at least twice.

"We have had some problems, but for the most part even though we were not coming to check people were keeping up with their homework," McCarthy said.

There are an estimated 152 public pool and spa facilities in the county.