Pool Resurfacing in Altadena, From Lake Avenue to the Foothills
Pool resurfacing in Altadena means very hard foothill water, long summers, and, since the Eaton Fire, pools that need cleanup before any new finish goes on. Aqua Creations resurfaces them with AQUA-GLASS™ fiberglass applied by our own crews from our Ventura shop.
Which company fills your pool, and how hard that water is
Altadena does not have one water utility. Lincoln Avenue Water Company serves the northwest part of town, Las Flores Water Company serves the north central area near the top of Lake Avenue, Rubio Cañon Land and Water Association serves central and east Altadena, and Pasadena Water and Power serves some sections. Your water bill tells you which one is yours.
Lincoln Avenue’s 2024 report is a good example of what comes out of the hose here. About 60 percent of its water came from two wells in the Raymond Basin, 30 percent from the Metropolitan Water District, and 10 percent from Millard Canyon. Hardness readings across those sources ran from 200 to 300 mg/L, or about 11.7 to 17.5 grains per gallon.
Water in that range is very hard. In a hot backyard, every top-off leaves more calcium behind, and porous plaster gives it a place to settle as scale and to trap stains. A non-porous fiberglass surface does not hold scale the same way, which makes the waterline easier to keep clean. If your supplier is one of the other companies, ask for its latest report and compare.
Source: Lincoln Avenue Water Company 2024 Consumer Confidence Report
Lincoln Avenue supply, 2024
Where the water came from, and its hardness range
- Hardness range
- 200 to 300 mg/L
- In grains per gallon
- About 11.7 to 17.5 gpg
- Very hard water starts at
- 180 mg/L, about 10.5 gpg
- Service area
- Northwest Altadena
Between the Arroyo Seco and Eaton Canyon
Altadena is unincorporated Los Angeles County land on the slope above Pasadena, with the Arroyo Seco on its west side, Eaton Canyon on its east, and the San Gabriel Mountains above. We work along Lake Avenue, Fair Oaks Avenue, Altadena Drive, Woodbury Road, and Mariposa Street, and in neighborhoods like Altadena Meadows and the streets around Farnsworth Park.
The same crews cover Pasadena just downhill, Glendale to the west, and Arcadia to the east. See every town on our Los Angeles County page.
Altadena, Los Angeles County, about 63 miles from our Ventura shop
Fire-damaged and long-empty pools in Altadena
Many Altadena families are still working through cleanup and rebuilding after the January 2025 Eaton Fire. Because Altadena is unincorporated, Los Angeles County rules apply to the pool, its fence, and where its water can go.
County guidance says the debris removal program will take fire debris out of a pool inside the ash footprint, but it will not refill or remove the pool. A pool that has stood empty through sun and weather, or held ash and debris for months, may need more than a cleaning before it is used again.
When cleanup is done and the barrier is back in place, a free estimate tells you whether the existing shell can take a new AQUA-GLASS™ surface, and what has to be repaired first.
What the county FAQ says about pools
- Fence or barrierPools and spas must be surrounded by a 5 ft fence or barrier. If the fence or home was destroyed, temporary fencing is required, and it needs no permit.
- Red tagsA property can be red tagged when a damaged enclosure had served as the pool barrier.
- DrainingDraining is not recommended. In unincorporated areas a pool may drain to the sewer only through a legally installed 3 inch P-trap with a sewer permit, never into a manhole, and not during or within 24 hours after rain.
- No P-trap or a septic systemIf the P-trap is missing or fire-damaged, or the home is on septic, a private water hauler has to drain the pool.
Source: LA County Planning, West San Gabriel Valley Area Plan, Altadena workshop
Older homes, older pools, and what that plaster looks like now
Before the fire, Altadena was a town of single-family homes, and most of them were more than 45 years old. A pool built alongside one of those houses has spent decades in hard water and foothill heat, and it may already carry more than one coat of plaster.
That shows up in a few ways: plaster worn thin and rough on the steps, patches that sound hollow because an older coat has let go of the one beneath it, and waterline tile that has cracked or lost grout. On an older pool, the waterline tile and coping are often due along with the surface, and our pool tile and coping work can be done while it is empty. Drain covers may also predate the 2008 federal safety standard, which our VGBA compliance upgrades address.
For a homeowner, this is the point where another coat of plaster starts the same cycle over. Our residential pool resurfacing replaces it with gun-laminated fiberglass bonded to the shell, and the fiberglass pool resurfacing page explains the method.
What foothill heat does to a pool interior in Altadena
Altadena sits inland, on the slope below the San Gabriel Mountains. NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals for the Pasadena station next door show August afternoons averaging 91.3°F, about 74 days a year at 90°F or above, and 20.08 inches of rain a year.
Warm water works harder
Hot water burns through chlorine faster and pushes calcium out of solution. On plaster that means more scale and more algae in rough spots through the summer.
Evaporation concentrates minerals
Every inch that evaporates on a hot week gets topped off with hard water, and the minerals in the old water stay behind. The waterline takes the brunt of it.
Sun fades plaster color
Long, bright summers leave older plaster patchy and chalky. Plaster is a cement product, and as its top layer wears, the color goes with it.
Read more on why summer is when the pool surface needs the most attention. Climate figures: NOAA NCEI 1991 to 2020 normals, Pasadena station.
Plan your Altadena pool resurface with a free estimate
Tell us about the pool and the yard, slope and all. We will come out, look at the surface, tile, and coping, and give you a free estimate with plain answers. Financing is available.
- Visit or mail1547 Los Angeles Ave, Suite #108, Ventura, CA 93004
- Office hoursMonday to Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM
- Emailaquaglass@aquacreations.com