Technical and sanitary Management of spa facilities thanks to a prototypeA first experimentation in Galicia on the swimming-pool water treatment with BCDMH

1. Technical and sanitary Management of spa facilities thanks to a prototype
A first experimentation in Galicia on the swimming-pool water treatment with BCDMH
K. Dubourg ; J. Lagiere ; JC.Baltz ; J. Cambar
Institut du Thermalisme, 8 rue Sainte-Ursule, 40100 Dax, France
Introduction
Launched in 2009, the TERMARED European spa network (France, Spain, Portugal) is based on the
partnership between the actors in the spa world (spa resorts, local authorities, university research
laboratories).
On the French side, the Institut du Thermalisme of the Bordeaux 2 university leveraged itself in
collaboration with the Landes area local council, and has thus been able to realise a certain number
of actions, among which the construction of a prototype composed of 3 modules.
This innovative tool which is particularly adapted to the corroding natural mineral waters helps the
spa professionals to find technical and sanitary solutions on spa water networks in use and on
thermal water pools.
Within this framework, a first experimentation was realised at the Hesperia Isla de la Toja spa center
(Galicia, Spain). They worked on the opportunity to feed their pools with their natural mineral water
which is highly chlorinated with sodium, and to treat it with 1-bromo-3-chloro-5,5-
diméthylhydantoïn (BCDMH).
Equipment and method
The prototype on display is composed of three independent modules (1, 2 and 3); each one is
mounted on a 4-caster frame.
Module #1, called “pilot” is the fundamental part of the prototype: entirely made of PVC-C, it
represents a thermal water network on a smaller scale, including all the constitutive parts that are to
be found in a typical spa facility. Module #2 is an experimental pool entirely covered of epoxy resin
composite, and module #3 is the treatment station which is necessary for the trials on the pools.
These 3 very specific modules were assembled so as to simulate a typical “pool” network. An
experimentation composed of 3 trials with bathers was undergone.
Results - discussion
La Toja natural mineral water, because of its very peculiar composition (it is chlorinated, with
sodium, radioactive, with bromide and fluorine, …) and its high rate of iron, displays a brown colour
and a very high conductivity (more than 20,000 µS/cm). This is the reason why the experimental
conditions of the 3 tests that were realised had to be adjusted: the thermal water was diluted with
city water to minimise the absorption of our oxidizer brominated by the high proportion of minerals.
Hence a disinfected and disinfecting mineral water was obtained in our last test (70% city water and
30% natural mineral water), which enabled us to prove the BCDMH bactericidal activity on the whole
of the germs commonly searched in spa pools (according to the French regulation).
Conclusion
Complementary studies would be necessary so as to confirm the relevance of our results by
comparing a study on BCDMH vs. chlorinated derivatives which are doubtlessly better adapted to
chlorinated waters with sodium such as la Toja’s.