Just in the time for the upcoming summer season comes this news:  Chlorine - one of the core-chemicals needed to maintain a swimming pool - is at a shortage in the United States.  In fact, many news sources and industry experts are labeling it the "worst chlorine shortage the country has ever seen".

First - how did we get here.  Last year - as the COVID-19 Pandemic ran its course, chlorine manufacturers suffered through a combination of lack of materials, a lack of employees, and general shutdowns.  Similar to many of the other shortages we've experienced in the past year (toilet paper, canned soup, lumber, automobiles), chlorine manufacturing plants were simply unable to produce the output needed to meet demand.  Additionally, a fire in one of the nations major chemical plants burned through whatever supplies were left. The result is a chlorine industry that simply doesn't have the chlorine needed to even meet the demands of a dismal summer swimming season - not to mention what will happen when the weather turns nice

So what does that mean for consumers - pool owners who need to maintain their swimming pools?  High prices.  In fact - some of the highest prices ever seen for chlorine. Just how high?  According to IHS Markit data that news sources are citing from Goldman Sachs "pool owners should brace for a price jump of about 58% from June to August" over the same time period last year in 2020.

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That 58% price increase has many pool maintenance companies already stockpiling supplies. That in turn could lead to further chlorine supply shortages and increased prices.

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