Could Disney treat Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake with Chloramine?

W

wellnavy

New Member
Original Poster
Concerning that you cannot swim in these lakes due to brain eating amoebas.
Chloramine is used to treat drinking water, so why couldn't Disney World
just treat these lakes with Chloramine, which does kill dangerous bacteria and
amoeba.

I am not exactly sure how it would effect Gators though, but I can't imagine they
would like it much.

I suppose it might make it possible to allow swimming again in these lakes.
 
NormC

NormC

Well-Known Member
Sure, let's poison the environment so you can go swimming. Go to a water park instead. Note that the River Country park remained open for 21 years after the reported amoeba incident with no further incidents. Water sports still occur in the lake.
 
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NormC

NormC

Well-Known Member
Sorry.

It is just amazing how many people actually believe the water park was closed due to an amoeba. It is simply not true. One incident in 1980 and the park remained open for 21 more years. River country used filtered and treated water from Bay Lake but was not directly open to the lake.
 
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Spikerdink

Spikerdink

Well-Known Member
wellnavy said:
Concerning that you cannot swim in these lakes due to brain eating amoebas.
Chloramine is used to treat drinking water, so why couldn't Disney World
just treat these lakes with Chloramine, which does kill dangerous bacteria and
amoeba.

I am not exactly sure how it would effect Gators though, but I can't imagine they
would like it much.

I suppose it might make it possible to allow swimming again in these lakes.
Click to expand...

Not being an expert by any stretch on this topic, but I can think of two reasons why Disney might not want to do this:

1 - The cost to treat the sheer volume of water would most likely be astronomical. This cost would have to be weighed against the benefit for the people who would normally want to swim in these bodies of water. My feeling is that since Disney has the pools at every resort, and the two water parks, the cost for treating the water with Chloramine (and the continued treatment as I would guess it needs to be repeated on a regular basis) would render it something that would be money best spent elsewhere.

2 - The environmental impact such a treatment could have. Again, not knowing the chemical to which you state, but I would want to know what effect it has on the water fowl, fish, deer/rabbits/armadillos that might drink from the water. That would need to be weighed against the cost also....

I don't know how many people would want to go swimming in the Bay Lake and Seven Seas in all honesty.... I personally wouldn't, but then I don't speak for everyone.....
 
Tonka's Skipper

Tonka's Skipper

Well-Known Member
wellnavy said:
Concerning that you cannot swim in these lakes due to brain eating amoebas.
Chloramine is used to treat drinking water, so why couldn't Disney World
just treat these lakes with Chloramine, which does kill dangerous bacteria and
amoeba.

I am not exactly sure how it would effect Gators though, but I can't imagine they
would like it much.

I suppose it might make it possible to allow swimming again in these lakes.
Click to expand...


I am not sure about how this chemical would work, but I am sure I would not want to swim in the lakes with angry gators?!!!!!!:rolleyes:


AKK
 
Tom

Tom

Beta Return
I think the fact that property is littered with gators is enough to deter most people from wanting to swim in either of those bodies of water, no matter how sanitary they are.

Besides, as @marni1971 said, the two bodies of water are fed by Disney-created canals, storm water runoff, and ground water. It would be an impossible feat to treat the water on a continuous basis.
 
MaryJaneP

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
Even with treatment, liability would be reduced, but not eliminated. Hence, for all the reasons previously given, as well as TDO risk aversion, I will say nice thought/question, but not likely.
 
W

WWWD

Well-Known Member
They could do an infinity type pool. That way while on the beach at the Poly, it would appear you are running into the lake, but in reality,you are entering a zero entry pool on the edge of the lake. Of course it would have to be designed so the pool water and lake water never combines.

Baring environmental issues, think about the amount of chlorine required for a normal size swimming pool and now times that by a million (just a flat out guess).
 
ajrwdwgirl

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
WWWD said:
They could do an infinity type pool. That way while on the beach at the Poly, it would appear you are running into the lake, but in reality,you are entering a zero entry pool on the edge of the lake. Of course it would have to be designed so the pool water and lake water never combines.

Baring environmental issues, think about the amount of chlorine required for a normal size swimming pool and now times that by a million (just a flat out guess).
Click to expand...

I like the idea of the infinity pool. I'm surprised Disney doesn't do this, good idea!
 
tahqa

tahqa

Well-Known Member
Outside of all of the previously mentioned environmental issues... Chloramine isn't a swimming water disinfectant anyways. In swimming pools chloramine is formed when chlorine reacts to organic substances during its chemical process. Chloramine is less effective than chlorine at sanitizing, is also more irritating to the eyes and is what causes the chlorine smell at swimming pools. So, in short, even if Disney wanted to disinfect the waterways it wouldn't be with chloramine.
 
T

thomas998

Well-Known Member
wellnavy said:
Concerning that you cannot swim in these lakes due to brain eating amoebas.
Chloramine is used to treat drinking water, so why couldn't Disney World
just treat these lakes with Chloramine, which does kill dangerous bacteria and
amoeba.

I am not exactly sure how it would effect Gators though, but I can't imagine they
would like it much.

I suppose it might make it possible to allow swimming again in these lakes.
Click to expand...

A few problems with trying to do that. First I don't think it would make the fish that live in those pools very happy. I know when I fill my aquarium that I have to treat the water first or the chloramine in the tap water will kill the fish. Second problem is that even if you got the water treated without killing the fish, what are you going to do about the alligators? I can see it now, the water isn't crystal clear and some poor guest would be float in the water to suddenly be taken like a victim in some cheap horror movie... Only it would be real and the lawsuits and headlines would be around long after the guest was buried.
 
NoWayJose

NoWayJose

Member
Nice thread. I've always wondered why they never did anything like mentioned above either. I believe you could swim in the Poly water when it first opened, but that ended rather quickly. I had also wondered about the infitiy pool idea. I thought it would be cool idea to be able to swim relatively close (assuming their would be an invisible underwater barrier) to the friendship boats pulling in around the BC or something.

I've been out on the waterways countless times and have honestly never spotted a gator. Have looked every time too. I must be lucky or in need of a visit to the eye doctors it sounds like...
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
NoWayJose said:
Nice thread. I've always wondered why they never did anything like mentioned above either. I believe you could swim in the Poly water when it first opened, but that ended rather quickly. I had also wondered about the infitiy pool idea. I thought it would be cool idea to be able to swim relatively close (assuming their would be an invisible underwater barrier) to the friendship boats pulling in around the BC or something.

I've been out on the waterways countless times and have honestly never spotted a gator. Have looked every time too. I must be lucky or in need of a visit to the eye doctors it sounds like...
Click to expand...
It only takes one! :jawdrop::hungover:
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
tahqa said:
Outside of all of the previously mentioned environmental issues... Chloramine isn't a swimming water disinfectant anyways. In swimming pools chloramine is formed when chlorine reacts to organic substances during its chemical process. Chloramine is less effective than chlorine at sanitizing, is also more irritating to the eyes and is what causes the chlorine smell at swimming pools. So, in short, even if Disney wanted to disinfect the waterways it wouldn't be with chloramine.
Click to expand...

I am a bit of a pool chemistry nut - keeping my pool clear, clean, and sparkling with a minimal amount of time, effort, and money using mainly bleach, borax, and baking soda, and dry acid.

You are right, the presence of combined chloramines in water indicates that the chlorine is reacting with organics. There are a LOT of organics in Bay Lake and SSL. I loose about 1 PPM per day of CL in my pool from sunlight alone - which in my 27' pool amounts to a quart of 6% bleach. To purify BL and SSL, with all of the organic matter in there you would need what amounts to thousands of gallons of bleach. And again, there are serious environmental issues as well.

While I am no expert on the "brain eating ameobas" - from what I have read, they live in the mud (which would make any sort of disinfecting difficult). When the mud gets stirred up, that is when problems happen. They get into the water column, and if they get into your body (like through a cut or a mucus membrane) then you can have a problem. My uderstanding is that is why they still waterski and parasail (and boat) - that is in deep water, where the chances of encountering something stirred up from the bottom is minimal.

-dave
 
ExtinctJenn

ExtinctJenn

Well-Known Member
In addition to the above comments re: the environmental effects from a chemical treatment perspective: In general you have to remember that while it may not be pretty to look at, the slimey, icky, green life in these bodies of water are part of the Circle of Life. The other creatures that live in/around the water ultimately feed on the stuff in there.

Yep... I managed to make this a truly Disney topic by whipping out a Lion King connection. Be proud y'all! LOL! :D
 

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