Aquatic Life Support Specialists and Water Quality Keepers work behind the scenes to maintain over 1 million gallons of animal habitat water throughout the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

How?

• They keep the animal pools around the Zoo clean and clear, making sure water quality is up to the standards of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Zoological Association of America, the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Associations, and the United States Department of Agriculture. 
• They test water samples to make sure the pools are balanced and safe for the animals and maintain all the pumps and filtration through preventative maintenance. 
• They monitor water quality and important parameters through computer systems that can give us insight to what’s going on within the pools, 24/7. 
• They don SCUBA gear for daily pool cleanings. Each team member is SCUBA certified and handles the underwater cleaning and maintenance in the polar bear, brown bear, and sea lion pools.  A typical diver will carry nearly 100 pounds of equipment, including an air tank, buoyancy control device (BCD) vest, dive weights, wetsuit, and scrubbing equipment.  Every morning, they dive in either one of the bear pools before the Zoo opens  and the sea lion pool at night after the Zoo closes.  They use pressure washers and large, hydraulic scrubbers originally made for cleaning the hulls of ships to clean away the algae from the pool walls and scrubber pads to clean the algae off the acrylic windows.  Summer dives call for regular wetsuits, but, in the winter, the pool temperatures can drop to as low as 45 degrees. The team then switches to extra thick wetsuits with hoods. They often assist with dives at Manatee Coast and Discovery Reef as well, using fine sand to polish the acrylic pool windows underwater and on the outside to remove scratches and scuffs to ensure guests can get a crystal clear view of the animals in their habitats.
• Team members stay up-to-date on industry standards and maintain a variety of certifications like becoming a certified Aquatic Animal Life Support Operator (AALSO) and Certified Pool Operator (CPO).

While they wear many hats, they boast a set of skills that helps get the job done. You may not see them working behind the scenes, but know that they are working hard to maintain safe, clean, and clear water to keep all our animals (and guests) happy and enriched.