" />How Riverside Leisure Centre Helped Shape Modern UV Disinfection for Commercial Pools
Today, UV disinfection is widely recognised as a best practice for commercial swimming pools, leisure centres, spas and aquatic facilities. It provides an effective secondary barrier against chlorine-resistant microorganisms while helping to reduce chloramines that impact water quality, air quality and swimmer comfort.
As a well-established and trusted technology used in recreation water facilities around the world, UV disinfection has been delivering proven performance for decades, with its widespread adoption in the UK pool industry tracing back to a pioneering installation more than 30 years ago.
Nuvonic (formerly Hanovia) helped pioneer the use of UV technology in UK commercial swimming pools. Its installation at Riverside Leisure Centre in Exeter in 1994 marked the first use of UV disinfection in a UK swimming pool, providing a real-world demonstration of the technology’s ability to improve water quality and address operational challenges that conventional treatment alone could not resolve. The success of this landmark project helped establish UV as a trusted secondary disinfection technology and accelerated its adoption across the UK’s commercial pool industry.
The Challenge Facing Commercial Pools in the 1990s
Commercial swimming pools have always operated under pressure to deliver safe, clean and comfortable environments for visitors.
High bather loads introduce contaminants that place increasing demands on conventional chlorine treatment. While chlorine remains the primary disinfectant in pools, operators often face challenges including:
- Chloramine accumulation and the associated “chlorine odour”
- Eye and skin irritation among swimmers
- Poor air quality in indoor pools
- Corrosion of building infrastructure and plant equipment
- Increased risk from chlorine-resistant organisms such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia
These issues were becoming increasingly apparent within large public leisure facilities during the early 1990s, creating demand for a complementary treatment technology capable of improving overall water quality and operational performance.
A UK First: Riverside Leisure Centre’s UV Installation
The installation at Riverside Leisure Centre marked a turning point for the UK leisure sector.
At the time, UV disinfection had already demonstrated success in other water treatment applications, but its use within UK swimming pools was largely unproven. The Exeter installation provided an opportunity to demonstrate how UV could perform in a real-world commercial pool environment operating with substantial daily visitor numbers and demanding water treatment requirements.
The project showed that UV technology could reliably integrate alongside existing chlorine treatment processes, providing an additional layer of protection while helping operators tackle challenges associated with water quality and chloramine management.
More importantly, the success of the installation provided tangible evidence that UV was not simply a theoretical solution—it could deliver measurable operational benefits within a busy leisure facility.
Why UV Made a Difference
The Riverside installation highlighted two key advantages of UV technology that remain highly relevant today.
Secondary Protection Against Chlorine-Resistant Pathogens
Certain microorganisms, particularly Cryptosporidium and Giardia, can survive at chlorine concentrations typically used in swimming pools.
UV disinfection provides an additional treatment barrier by inactivating these chlorine-resistant pathogens, helping operators strengthen their overall water safety strategy.
Reduction of Chloramines
One of the most significant benefits demonstrated by UV treatment is its ability to reduce chloramines.
Chloramines are formed when chlorine reacts with contaminants introduced by bathers. They are responsible for many of the issues commonly associated with pool environments, including:
Strong chlorine smells in swimming pools can indicate the presence of chloramines, which may contribute to eye irritation, respiratory discomfort, and reduced indoor air quality.
By breaking down chloramines, UV systems help create a more comfortable environment for swimmers while supporting improved working conditions for pool staff.
From Industry First to Industry Standard
What began as a pioneering installation at Riverside Leisure Centre helped accelerate the adoption of UV disinfection throughout the UK leisure industry.
Today, UV systems are used across:
Discover how UV disinfection supports safer, cleaner water across a wide range of commercial aquatic facilities.
Many new pool projects now consider UV treatment an essential component of a modern water treatment strategy due to its ability to improve water quality, support public health objectives and enhance swimmer experience.
A Legacy That Continues with Nuvonic
The Riverside installation remains an important milestone in the heritage of Nuvonic. Through the combined expertise of Hanovia, Aquionics, Berson and Orca, Nuvonic continues to support pool operators with UV disinfection solutions that help improve water quality, support compliance and deliver long-term operational performance.
Building on decades of experience in recreational water treatment, the UVShield™ range has been developed specifically for swimming pools, leisure centres, water parks and other aquatic facilities. Featuring optimised reactor geometry, flow characteristics and UV dose delivery, UVShield provides reliable secondary disinfection while helping operators manage chloramines and maintain water quality. Designed for vertical or horizontal installation with variable cable lengths, its compact footprint and broad product range provide flexibility for both retrofit projects and new builds where plant space is limited.
The same principles demonstrated at Riverside in 1994 remain just as relevant today: when properly specified and integrated, UV technology helps facilities improve water quality, reduce chloramine-related issues and strengthen protection against waterborne pathogens. For pool operators, engineers and consultants, this proven track record provides confidence that UV remains a trusted and effective component of a modern pool water treatment strategy.
Looking to improve water quality, reduce chloramines and enhance swimmer comfort? Explore the UVShield™ range or speak with a Nuvonic expert to find the best UV solution for your facility.
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