Fecal contamination is just as unhealthful in a backyard pool as it is in a community pool. K. Shay Brown of Arch Chemicals, Inc. (the company that makes HTH water products) recommends that pool owners take the following steps after an "accident" in a home pool:

• Have everyone get out of the pool, and don't allow anyone to use the pool until the water has been properly sanitized.
• Remove the fecal material from the water.
• Sanitize the pool by using a shock treatment (superchlorination) product to raise the chlorine level to at least 10 parts per million.
• Wait until the chlorine level drops to the normal range of one to three parts per million before allowing anyone to use the pool. This can take anywhere from eight to 24 hours.

If you want to learn more about healthy swimming, the CDC's Healthy Swimming Web site is a great place to start. You can find a downloadable brochure, fact sheets and other information.

For more information on E. coli and other germs that can be spread by contaminated food and water, check out www.stop-usa.org. This Web site is sponsored by S.T.O.P. (Safe Tables Our Priority), a nonprofit organization that is working to prevent foodborne and waterborne diseases.