There’s a Dead Raccoon in the Pool—Now What?

By: Lauren Broom

What Pool Professionals Need to Know About Raccoons, Fecal Contamination, Filters and PPE

For a pool professional, discovering a dead animal in a swimming pool is unpleasant, but it isn’t necessarily an emergency. Birds, frogs, rodents, snakes and other animals occasionally end up in pools, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says most dead animals found in swimming pools do not pose a significant health risk to swimmers.

A raccoon is different.

Whether a pool professional discovers a dead raccoon in the water or raccoon feces on the steps, the incident deserves special attention because raccoons can carry Baylisascaris procyonis, commonly known as raccoon roundworm.

The important lesson for pool professionals is simple:

Don’t assume adding more chlorine will solve every biological contamination problem.

Why Are Raccoons Different?

Raccoons are the primary host of Baylisascaris procyonis. An infected raccoon can shed microscopic roundworm eggs in its feces.

People can become infected by accidentally swallowing infective eggs from contaminated soil, water, hands or objects. Human infection is rare, but it can be serious and may affect the eyes, organs or nervous system.

There’s another important detail: the eggs are not immediately infectious when passed in fresh feces. CDC states that they generally require about 2–4 weeks in the environment to become infective. Prompt cleanup is therefore important.

But for a pool operator, perhaps the most important fact is this:

Chlorine does not kill Baylisascaris eggs.

Chlorine will kill many of the other germs a raccoon might introduce into pool water, but CDC specifically states that chlorine does not kill Baylisascaris eggs. That is why a raccoon incident should not be treated as simply another dead-animal or routine fecal incident.

You Find a Dead Raccoon in the Pool. What Should You Do?

First, close the pool to swimmers immediately.

CDC recommends contacting local animal control and asking whether there are local requirements or recommendations for removing the raccoon. If animal control provides instructions, follow them.

If no additional instructions are provided, CDC recommends:

1. Put on disposable gloves.
2. Use a net or another appropriate item to remove the raccoon from the pool.
3. Place the dead raccoon and the item used to remove it into double plastic garbage bags.
4. Remove the disposable gloves and place them into the bags.
5. Securely close the bags and put them into a sealed trash container where wildlife cannot access them.
6. Immediately wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

Now comes the part that is especially important for pool professionals—the filtration system.

What Happens to the Pool After the Raccoon Is Removed?

CDC provides two options for reducing the potential risk associated with a dead raccoon or raccoon feces in the pool.

Option 1: Filter the Pool

CDC recommends:

Filter the pool for a minimum of 24 hours.

After that:

• Backwash the filter.
• Put on disposable gloves.
• Replace the filtering material, if possible.
• Place discarded filtering material into double plastic garbage bags.
• Remove the gloves and place them into those bags.
• Wash hands immediately and thoroughly with soap and water.

Option 2: Drain the Pool

CDC’s second option is to:

• Backwash the filter.
• Drain the pool.
• Hose down the pool.
• Put on disposable gloves and replace the filtering material, if possible.
• Double-bag the discarded filter material and gloves.
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.
• Refill the pool.

This guidance illustrates an important principle:

This isn’t just a water-chemistry problem. It’s also a filtration and contamination-control problem.

If potentially contaminated water has been circulating through the system, the pool professional needs to think about what has been captured by the filter—not just what is happening in the water.

What If the Raccoon Pooped in the Pool?

Treat raccoon feces differently from an ordinary formed-fecal incident involving a swimmer.

For ordinary formed feces, CDC generally recommends removal followed by maintaining 2 ppm free chlorine at a pH of 7.5 or lower for at least 30 minutes, while confirming that the filtration system is operating properly.

Raccoon feces introduces the additional concern of Baylisascaris eggs.

If raccoon feces is discovered:

Close the pool immediately.

Wear disposable gloves and remove the feces with a net or other appropriate item. Do not handle it with bare hands.

CDC’s raccoon guidance calls for the feces and the item used for removal to be double-bagged, followed by proper glove removal and thorough handwashing.

Then follow the raccoon-specific filtration guidance: filter for a minimum of 24 hours and backwash, followed by replacement of filtering material when possible, or use CDC’s drain-and-refill option.

The Filter Is Where Pool Techs Need to Pay Special Attention

After 24 hours of filtration, think about what the filter has been doing.

Its job is to capture material from the water.

That means opening or servicing a filter following a raccoon contamination incident deserves more consideration than an ordinary filter cleaning.

CDC’s swimming-pool guidance specifically instructs workers to wear disposable gloves when replacing filter material and to double-bag the discarded filter material.

For pool professionals, a broader PPE assessment is also appropriate based on the actual task and potential for exposure.

PPE to Consider When Servicing the Filter

At a minimum, follow CDC guidance and wear disposable gloves when handling potentially contaminated filter material.

Depending on the filter, working conditions and possibility of splashing or contaminated debris, a pool professional should also consider:

Disposable gloves — CDC specifically recommends these when replacing filter material.

Safety glasses or splash goggles — A prudent addition when opening, cleaning or backwashing equipment where contaminated water or debris could splash toward the eyes.

Protective clothing or disposable coveralls — Particularly useful when there is a reasonable possibility that contaminated water, filter media or debris could contact work clothing.

Rubber or waterproof boots — Useful where contaminated water or filter material could contact footwear. CDC’s broader guidance for cleaning raccoon-contaminated areas recommends rubber boots that can be scrubbed or disposable shoe covers to prevent tracking contamination elsewhere.

What About Respiratory Protection?

This requires an important distinction.

CDC’s pool-specific raccoon guidance does not instruct pool technicians to routinely wear an N95 respirator while servicing a pool filter.

However, CDC’s guidance for cleaning raccoon latrines recommends an N95-rated respirator when working in a confined space and advises workers to avoid stirring up dust and debris.

Therefore, if a filter-cleaning operation could generate airborne dust from dried fecal contamination or contaminated dry material, particularly in a confined or poorly ventilated area, respiratory protection should be evaluated under the employer’s hazard assessment and applicable OSHA respiratory-protection requirements.

Don’t simply turn an N95 into a universal rule for every raccoon-related filter cleaning. PPE should match the actual exposure hazard.

Avoid Creating Additional Exposure During Filter Cleaning

Good work practices are just as important as PPE.

When handling potentially contaminated filter material:

Avoid touching your face, mouth or eyes with contaminated gloves.

Don’t eat, drink or smoke while performing the cleanup.

Avoid unnecessarily spraying contaminated material in a way that creates splashes or aerosols.

Don’t use compressed air to blow potentially contaminated material from equipment.

Keep contaminated gloves, disposable PPE and filter material separate from clean equipment.

Double-bag discarded filter material as directed by CDC.

After removing PPE, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

CDC emphasizes handwashing after handling potentially contaminated material.

What If the Raccoon Is Dead NEXT TO the Pool?

This is an important distinction.

A dead raccoon lying on the deck or elsewhere on the property does not automatically mean the pool water has been contaminated.

CDC’s special pool filtration recommendations apply when a dead raccoon or raccoon feces is found in the pool.

If there is good reason to believe the animal never entered the water and no feces entered the pool, the presence of the animal nearby does not by itself trigger CDC’s 24-hour filtration procedure.

However, don’t stop your investigation there.

Look carefully around:

• Pool steps
• Shallow ledges
• Deck areas
• Equipment areas
• Landscaping
• Raised surfaces around the pool

Raccoons commonly return to the same areas to defecate. CDC notes that raccoons using swimming pools frequently defecate in shallow areas such as the steps.

If you cannot confidently determine whether fecal material entered the water, a public or commercial pool operator should keep the pool closed while the situation is evaluated and consult the appropriate local health authority when necessary.

Raccoon Poop on the Pool Deck Is Another Issue

If raccoon feces is discovered around the pool rather than in the water, don’t treat it like ordinary dirt or hose it around the deck.

CDC recommends precautions when cleaning raccoon latrines because the eggs are resistant to most chemicals. Workers should avoid creating dust, wear disposable gloves, and use appropriate protective footwear. An N95 is recommended by CDC when cleaning in a confined space.

CDC also identifies heat as an effective means of destroying Baylisascaris eggs and provides specific recommendations for treating feces-contaminated surfaces. Always consider the surface involved and fire/burn hazards before using any heat-treatment method.

Prevention Is Part of the Pool Professional’s Job

After the immediate problem has been addressed, ask another question:

Why did the raccoon come to this pool?

Raccoons may be attracted by accessible water, food, unsecured garbage, pet food or an environment that gives them easy access to the property.

CDC recommends keeping pool fencing closed, eliminating accessible food sources and contacting animal control or wildlife-removal professionals when raccoons repeatedly visit the property.

Repeated feces in the same location may indicate that the area has become a raccoon latrine and deserves additional attention.

The Takeaway for Pool Professionals

Pool professionals are trained to think about chlorine, pH, circulation and filtration whenever contamination occurs.

A raccoon incident reminds us that not every biological hazard can be solved by increasing the sanitizer level.

When a dead raccoon or raccoon feces is discovered in a swimming pool:

Close the pool.
Protect yourself.
Remove the contamination safely.
Double-bag contaminated material.
Follow CDC’s raccoon-specific filtration or drain/refill guidance.
Address the filter and filter media.
Use appropriate PPE.
Wash your hands thoroughly.
And take steps to prevent the raccoon from returning.

Most importantly, remember:

Chlorine does not kill Baylisascaris eggs.

Knowing that one fact can completely change how a pool professional approaches the incident.

Pool service isn’t only about keeping water clear and chemically balanced. Situations like this are also about occupational safety, contamination control and protecting public health.

References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Responding to Raccoons in and around the Pool; Preventing Raccoon Roundworm; Responding to a Dead Animal in the Pool; and What to Do When There is Poop in the Pool.

CDC — Responding to Raccoons in and around the Pool

CDC — Preventing Raccoon Roundworm