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The city tests public pools for chlorine and PH -- but not bacteria -- as state law does not require it.

NY1 decided to do some testing of its own and took samples from the Hamilton Fish Pool on the Lower East Side, Astoria Pool in Queens, Crotona in the Bronx, and McCarren Park in Brooklyn.

The samples were tested at a lab in New Jersey.

"Yes the samples which we received from the State of New York were bacteriologically satisfactory by both New Jersey standards and the State of New York standards," said Harvey Klein of Garden State Labs.

All of the samples were bacteria-free.

The city requires people to hose off before swimming and also checks the chlorine level every hour.

"We also check the cleanliness of the pool by the clarity of the water. If you look at the water behind me, it's crystal clear, and it's exactly the way we are expecting it to be," said Michael Crescenzo of the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

Despite the results, some still think the city should change its policy.

"I would have no qualms about swimming in the four pools which we tested if we knew that these conditions were consistently maintained," said Klein. "That of course is one good reason to have weekly testing to make sure the conditions are properly maintained."

The city's 55 outdoor swimming pools will close for the year on September 3.