Your pool and the "West Nile and Zika Viruses"

by Par Pool and Spas

Swimming pools, both in ground & aboveground are a great source of clean, clear summer fun & family enjoyment However, good, continuous care must be given to properly treat the water when the pool is not being used For health reasons, the pool must be properly sanitized & balanced (pH, Total Alkalinity, Water Hardness) The filter system must operate daily to clean the water

What has all of this got to do with the "West Nile and Zika viruses?" Lots A swimming pool that is left to stagnate & turn green with algae or other "undesirable conditions" will be a tremendous breeding ground for mosquitoes & other insect pests Mosquitoes fly in, lay their eggs & go A pool that is not properly maintained will allow this to happen Mosquitoes must have water to breed so make sure there is no standing water in the yard Actually, it only takes a week for standing water to become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Preventative Measures

1 Run the pool filter daily about 12 hr as a minimum This will prevent stagnation

2 Maintain the pool's Sanitizer in the recommended range.

3 Regularly clean, vacuum & brush the pool walls & surfaces to remove any type of bio-film that will attract mosquitoes

4 Add an initial dosage of a good quality quaternary algaecide (such as BioGuard® Back Up)

Algaecides such as Back Up® not only prevent algae; they also work as a surfactant in the pool water

5 If the pool is to be covered, make sure the cover is completely drained of excess water Observe the warnings issued by the local health authorities regarding standing, stagnant water

6 Delay winterizing the pool until mid-October when we've had our first freeze and mosquitoes have been killed

7 Delay winterizing to prevent buildup of standing water on the pool cover

8 Covered pools must be kept completely free of leaves & other debris Debris & water left on the cover will decay over time providing a breeding area for mosquitoes & other insect pests

9 Make sure floats, equipment and pool toys are stored so they will not collect water

10 When backwashing makes sure the water does not collect or puddle in the yard

11 Check planting pots to make sure they are not holding water

Swimming pools are a great center for family health & fun In times of drought, they can also be a good source of clean potable water Let's keep them clean & sanitary! Pool products are intended for swimming pool use only Do not use any swimming pool or spa product as a larvaecide or treatment of water outside of the pool or spa. It is a violation of federal law to use a registered product inconsistent with its labeling directions All pools are to be drained into the sanitary sewer

Dogs

no good and the Panthers led early, 6-0

Howe's first possession started at their own 29 yard line and the offense moved quickly taking 2:51 off the clock on six plays and scored on a 1-yard Tyler Grisham plunge Howe took their first lead, 7-6, of the night with Brice Honaker's PAT.

Van Alstyne traveled 68 yards on their next possession and scored on a 13-yard touchdown by Levi Jones, who came in with 853 yards, the sixth most rushing yards in the area The drive took 2:29 off of the clock Jones also ran in the 2-point conversion and Van Alstyne led Howe 14-7 with 2:21 left in the first.

Howe's second possession of the night was a typical Bulldogs style of three yards and a could of dust, er, rubber pellets in this turf case Howe held the ball for 13 plays and went 87 yards, taking the remaining 2:21 of the first quarter and the first 3:54 of the second quarter Jaden Matthews crossed the goal line from the 2 yard line and Honaker's PAT tied the game at 14

Howe got a great Silver Spike gift on the first play of the Panther's next drive as Jones coughed it up and Tanner Hartsfield recovered the fumble that gave Howe the ball at the Van Alstyne 36 yard line Five plays later, Howe quarterback Brandon Wall scampered up the middle for 16 yards and a touchdown Howe took the lead, 21-14 after Honaker's PAT with 6:05 left in the second quarter

The Panthers answered right back with a 3:02 drive that went 6 plays and 65 yards Another hookup of Proctor to Wilson for 14 yards did the trick for Van Alstyne But again Taylor missed a PAT attempt and Howe retained the one point lead, 21-20 with 3:03 left before half

The Bulldogs tried to take the remaining 3:03 off of the clock and score, but came up empty after a 9-play drive ended in Wall's first interception of the night on a lastsecond attempt at points before the half Howe Head Coach Zack Hudson opted to not try a 48-yard field goal with one second left witih arguably the best kicker in school history, instead throwing the ball which ended in the turnover Howe held the slimmest of leads at 21-20 heading into the halftime locker room

Since the Panthers started the game with the ball, Howe had a golden opportunity to extend the lead and obtain some breathing room as they started with the ball to being the second half Howe started at their own 25 yard line and drove 75 yards on seven plays Grisham took it over from six yards out for his second touchdown of the night Howe was completely in control for the moment with an eight point lead at

28-20

with 7:52 left in the third

Van Alstyne then put together a Bulldog-like drive that kept Howe's defense on the field for 15 plays and 6:37 seconds taking most of the third quarter away At the one yard line, Jones tried to carry it over and was stripped of the ball by Hartsfield who ran from the one to midfield before the officials blew the whistle and said that Jones was down before the ball came out Van Alstyne tried to quickly snap the new ball that was delivered in the game before Hartsfield could get back to the line of scrimmage With the Howe linebacker having to come out of the game, Van Alstyne's Proctor scored on a quarterback sneak on a 1-yarder to narrow the gap to 28-26 with only 1:15 left in the third quarter Howe held Jones back for the 2-point conversion attempt

Trading punches was the name of the game as neither defense had much of an answer to either offense Howe's next possession started at their own

43 yard line Grisham, who was a horse for Howe with 202 yards on the night, converted multiple fourth down conversions with the help of lead blocker Hartsfield Time and time again, Offensive Coordinator Dale West called Grisham's number to get them the needed one or two yards for the first down In this situation, Grisham was good for around eight yards in each scenario But with Howe facing a 4th and 3 at the Van Alstyne 36, Grisham was turned away in that situation for the first time of the night and Howe turned the ball over on downs with 9:31 left in the game leaving the door cracked for a late Panther comeback To make matters worse for the 'Dogs, a personal foul occurred at the end of the play and instead of the Panthers starting at their own 36 yard line, they got the ball in Howe territory at the 49.

The Panthers wasted no time continued on page 16