Pool Service in West University Place, TX

Protected trees over small backyards

West U began protecting its urban forest in 1992. Construction projects need a tree preservation plan, the city keeps an inventory of its public trees, and its Tree Trust program plants a tree for approved residents at no cost. In Colonial Terrace, mature oaks shade 1930s and 1940s Colonial Revival, Tudor and brick cottages, along with larger custom homes built since the 1990s.

A big canopy over a compact yard gives you a pool that collects leaves, catkins and pollen through spring and sits in shade for much of the day. Debris left on the floor uses up chlorine and gives algae a place to start. One major filter maker names oak catkins among the debris that decide how often a cartridge needs cleaning, so under West U's oaks, expect more frequent cleanings in spring than in midsummer.

Rebuilt lots, newer pools, and pads close to the neighbors

The Houston West End Realty Co. sold the first West U lots on April 1, 1917, and in the 1920s a Rice student named the streets after authors in her English literature book. Many of the early bungalows and cottages are gone: after development rules were loosened, about half of the existing houses were torn down and replaced in the 15 years ending in 2002. A pool behind one of those rebuilds is often fairly new and fitted onto a typical West U lot of about 50 by 120 feet.

On a dense street the equipment pad can sit a few feet from a neighbor's window, so noise matters. ENERGY STAR says that cutting a pump's speed in half lets it use about one-eighth the energy, and that the pumps it qualifies run quieter. Federal efficiency rules also mean a standard-size replacement motor for a pool pump, if built after late September 2025, must offer variable speeds. When a pump is due, our pump installation service fits the replacement to the pad and plumbing you already have.

Drainage, Harvey, and the Poor Farm Ditch

Muddy streets and poor drainage were part of why residents incorporated in 1924, and a century later the city is still working on drainage. Hurricane Harvey flooded 116 West U homes in 2017, and a 2019 study found that much of the storm sewer system could not handle a rainfall that comes about once every two years on average. East-side sewer upgrades began in 2023 and 2024, a west-side trunkline to Brays Bayou started in 2025 and is expected to take six years or more, and a county flood control project shared with West U and Southside Place is rebuilding the concrete-lined Poor Farm Ditch.

Until that work is done, a hard afternoon storm can leave a backyard pool overfull and cloudy with yard runoff. Leaves left on light plaster for days can stain it, so net them out early, then plan on a few filter cleanings and repeat water tests before the pool settles. A pool that has already gone green is a job for green pool cleanup.

Lake Houston water meets 560-foot city wells

West U runs its own water system and, according to its 2024 water quality report, targets roughly half groundwater and half surface water. The groundwater comes from two city wells drawing from 560 feet down in the Gulf Coast Aquifer. The surface water is bought from Houston's East Water Purification Plant No. 3, which treats water from Lake Houston on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River.

Two sources can nudge your pool's numbers from month to month, and the report gives no hardness value. So we measure rather than assume: pH, free chlorine, alkalinity and calcium at each visit, with free chlorine kept in proportion to the stabilizer level.

West U sections and subdivisions