SE Vegas News

Clark County residents are being asked to get rid of green pool blight and health dangers by reporting them to the county code enforcement agency.

Green pools are neglected pools that have been ignored long enough that their water starts to turn green from algae and bacteria, a news release from the County said. These types of pools, as well as ponds and other bodies of water, can become a nesting place for mosquitos that carry diseases like the West Nile and Zika viruses. 

“Green pools are not only ugly but also breeding grounds for mosquitos," Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick said in the release. Kirkpatrick also serves as a member of the Southern Nevada Health District’s Board of Health.

Clark County responded to 168 green pool complaints last year, the release said. Seasonal attempts at eliminating green pools allow for fewer mosquito breeding opportunities, which may lower the risk of mosquito-borne illness.

“It’s a priority to respond to complaints about green pools because they put the public health of our community at risk," Kirkpatrick said in the release. "You also can prevent mosquitos outside your home by making sure you don’t have any water collecting in planters, buckets or from leaky drip systems or sprinklers.”

The best steps to combat mosquito bites include avoiding the outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, which is at dusk and dawn; using bug spray or other repellants such as DEET, Picaridin or lemon eucalyptus oil; covering your skin by wearing long pants and shirts; and ensuring that doors and windows have screens with no tears or holes in them; the release said. 

There is usually an uptick in mosquito activity in hotter months, but it can vary depending on the year; the release said.