I live in Minnesota. my patio is surrounded by large norway pines. i
put up my kids' pool (same one i used last year, I even washed it!)...
fresh water... more or less suddenly it turned green. Green tea color.
my filter picked up an orange color on it's white paper. i couldn't
understand it, thought maybe some weird dye had come out of the kids'
suits in the water. or some fast growing algae? (I've had algae
before, but it takes days to bloom in a large pool). i drained the
pool and found an orange residue at the bottom. then I thought
(sneeze!) "Pollen!" but why would it "dye" the pool green and end up
an orange residue? could it start orange, dissolve to green, then
re-coagulate to orange?
whoa.

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Clarification of Question by charidea-ga on 28 May 2003 07:59 PDT

i have a home testing kit. i can test for the two things pH and chlorine levels.

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Clarification of Question by charidea-ga on 28 May 2003 14:30 PDT

i think the water quality issue has gotten us off the point a bit. i
had the water tested last year and, yes, i can test it again, but i
basically know it's hard and clean. we're in an upscale suburb of
mpls. so, ok.
i am 95% sure it's the pollen, though I made an error saying Red Pine
(which I do have) but the main culprit is probably the Norway Spruce
(Picea abies). Does this make more sense to you tree people?

Hi charidea,

What the discoloration actually is, is not as important as how to
correct it. Take a water sample to a local swimming pool supply store,
they will test it and sell you a product to correct the problem.
Whatever it is will be corrected by routine maintenance, the store
will advise you.

~~Cynthia

Hi again,

There's many different possibilities besides chlorine, in fact there's
2 different tests for chlorine alone. Your PH is most certainly wrong,
but correcting that alone will not be enough. You _really_ need to
have the water tested by a professional. What city do you live? I can
find a place for you to take it, or you can just put some in a jar and
look under "swimming pool supplies" in the Yellow Pages.

~~Cynthia

Here's some information you might find useful:

Pool Water Problems
http://www.water-treatment.org.uk/swimming_pool_water.html

Water Pollution Forum
http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/
A forum where you can ask questions about your specific pool water
problem. You may need to register to participate.

Water Balance
http://www.baquacil.com/pool_care_tips/pool_care_tips.asp#q3
This page tells you the different chemical levels that your water
_should_ be. Be sure to scroll down to read the descriptions.

Pool and Water Care - Troubleshooting
http://www.diyswimmingpools.co.uk/water-troubleshooting.html
This page lists more problems than the first link and may be useful.

~~Cynthia

The pines and the time of the year make it highly possible that you're
seeing pollen from the trees in your pool.  The Norway pine (or red
pine) is so prolific that this researcher often sees a yellow-green
dust storm outside his window and the pollen covers tables and
barbecue grills:
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry/Education/ohiotrees/pinered.htm

Cynthia-ga's suggestion to have a pool expert check it is wise.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA