Swimming season is starting in Illinois and the state has been licensing public pools and beaches.
The Illinois Department of Public Health is in charge of the regulations under the Illinois Swimming Facility Act. There are 952 city-owned swimming pools in Illinois. That number goes up every year.
The agency keeps an online database of the facilities it licenses. The database is updated daily to reflect license or inspection changes. Public pools and beaches are inspected at least once a year. State law has a list of specific health and safety violation that require a swimming pool or beach to close.
Many public pool managers say the facilities aren't profitable. Instead they see the pools as a public service.
