[Cajundaddy]

Pools are incredibly easy to take care of if you do three things:

1. Keep them free of leaves, seeds, and fecal matter (duck poo).
2. Keep the chemicals balanced and shock treat regularly.
3. Keep the filter in good working order and running long enough each day.

I typically spend 10 minutes a week and the pool always looks great. Some folks like gardening, I like puttering around the pool. My DE filter needs cleaning 3 times/year. A 15 minute operation and requires no tools to assemble/disassemble.

"Trouble Free Pool" is a very good online resource. Spend some time there to get familiar with common terms and weekly duties.

From your description (visiting ducks, high TDS, overhanging trees, sand filter, AZ summers) I suspect that this pool will be more difficult to maintain weekly than most. High CL2 levels were probably being maintained to combat the bacterial effects of a regular influx of fecal matter (duck poo). Be diligent because if it gets away from you it will turn green very quickly and be a bear to get blue again without a complete drain and refill.

Good luck!

$80 actually sounds pretty cheap for pool service as here it is typically $110/mo. In AZ expect to spend $40-$50 per month in chemicals during the summer.