Pools are disgusting. That's the only sane conclusion that can be reached after reading today's CDC report on violations found at public aquatic venues in five states in 2013. Routine inspection conducted that year revealed that 80 percent of public pools, hot tubs, and spas presented at least one health or safety violation. And one of every eight of those venues had to be closed immediately because of a serious threat to public health.

The inspections detailed in the report took place in Arizona, California, Florida, New York, and Texas. The most common violation was related to improper pH, according to the analysis, which used data from 48,632 public aquatic venues. The next most common health violation was related to faulty disinfectant concentrations. Those might sound like minor things, but from a health standpoint, both are big problems. When water's pH is too high, the disinfecting power of chlorine diminishes, allowing germs to proliferate.

But it gets worse. Of all the pools that inspectors looked at, kiddie pools had the highest proportion of violations that led to closures. The researchers found that a fifth of kiddie pools had to be shut down immediately following an inspection. So kids clearly aren't swimming in the cleanest of waters.

To prevent people from soaking in cesspools, the CDC says that people should check for inspection results online or on site before using public pools, hot tubs, or water playgrounds. The CDC also recommends that people complete their own inspections using a checklist. That's partly because about a third of local health departments don't regulate, inspect, or license recreational aquatic spots, said Michele Hlavsa, chief of CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program, in a statement.

Among this handy-dandy list are some good tips, like making sure that the drain at the bottom of the deep end is visible. But the CDC also recommends that people should bring their own test strips, which it says can be bought "at most superstores and pool-supply stores." This seems hilariously impractical. But for people who live in areas where a pool-supply store doesn't sound absurd, here are the CDC's recommendations in full: