Most suburban areas have pools available for lap swimming. The YMCA and
health
clubs are a good place to start. Many areas have city recreational centers
that
also offer lap swimming. Often local high schools or colleges will have a
lap
pool, call and ask if they allow public use.>/p?

If you don't know about any in your area, US Masters Swimming offers a
searchable list of swim locations at
http://www.usms.org/placswim/search.php. A
great international list can be found at http://www.swimmersguide.com/.

Finding a place for open water swims in your area can be more difficult.
Many
areas have lakes with public beaches but the swim area is often cordoned off
to
a small, easily life guarded space. The best bet is to ask other triathletes
in
your area where they train.