Q: Last year, my husband and I bought a condo in a duplex building in Jersey City, after living in New York City for 32 years. Our rear windows overlook our neighbor’s backyard, which has an aboveground pool filled with filthy water. When we arrived last August, the pool was bright blue and inviting. But now the water is a stagnant eyesore. We are concerned, as are our downstairs neighbors, that mosquitoes are breeding there. With summer approaching, we would love for the pool to be cleaned. But how should we proceed? Is it pushy to approach the owners? Is there an agency we could call to intervene?

A: Last fall, the owners should have winterized the pool, treating the water with chemicals, removing equipment and covering the top for the season. Some owners drain the water in an aboveground pool, but it certainly shouldn’t be neglected and exposed. Animals could drown or build nests, and leaves or dirt could cause damage.

“As things warm up, they would want to clean that up right away because bugs and nasty critters will start festering,” said Evelyn Schubert, a customer service representative at Creative Master Pools, in Lincoln Park, N.J., who has a pool at her house that is currently treated and covered. “If we were to look in that now, the water should be clear. One year we did have something die. We had to empty the water completely, brush it, clean it, treat it.”

From your observations last summer, it sounds like the pool is in use, and may very well be cleaned in the coming weeks ahead of summer. Homeowners generally start opening their pools in early April, according to Ms. Schubert.