Get your cannonballs and belly-flops ready. D.C. is marking the start of summer tomorrow by opening the city's public pools.
The public swimming holes are spread out throughout all four quadrants of the District, and if you're a D.C. resident, you can splash around for free. So don't forget your ID. Non-residents can swim for a fee.
Weekend operations begin tomorrow and daily operations begin June 21. By then, the pools will be open Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. The larger locations like Francis Pool on N Street NW get pretty crowded, so check out the whole list and find your own urban oasis.
But be warned before diving headfirst into that public pool. Last year, the City Paper conducted poop tests to see how clean the pools are in D.C. Several tested positive for bacteria.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say most people have 0.14 grams of feces on their rear ends. When you think about the thousands of people who visit the pools each summer, that's a lot of poop, maybe as much as 50 pounds.
The Department of Parks and Recreation told City Paper to have no fear, chemicals are here. Officials said that pool staffers check the water hourly and that Health Department inspections found that chlorine levels have been at expected levels to protect the public.
Still, here's hoping everyone showers before they jump in.
