Is anyone else fearing for their swim program due to the upcoming enforcement of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act?
I swim in Massachusetts, and there's a possibility our pool will have to close due to compliance issues.
Anyone else dealing with this? We've been calling our legislators and doing whatever we can, but I think it needs to be a national effort.
Thoughts?
One of the major issues is that some pools do not even have the capability of compliance because the appropriate drain covers do not exist for the type of drains they have.
Another issue is that because of the number of pools seeking to comply, the equipment is just not out there.
Here's an e-mail I got from someone trying to sort this out at UMASS:
One thing everyone should understand, the Act is targeted primarily at pools and spas with one main drain. All three of our pools have two main drains and are separated by a distance beyond that which is required. Unfortunately the Act reaches beyond the one main drain provision and requires that all drain covers are to be replaced with “ASME A112.19-2007” certified stamp embossed on the grate. This is the language that has burdened so many pool operators around the country. It does not take into account whether your pool has twenty drains or if your current drain covers are already fashioned for anti-entrapment; it requires you to replace them anyway. You can then easily surmise that the whole country is now trying to procure drain covers with the certified markings, and with a limited amount of distributing vendors and a more limited amount of inventory stock, the price and timeline are basically uncontrollable by the purchaser.
One of the major issues is that some pools do not even have the capability of compliance because the appropriate drain covers do not exist for the type of drains they have.
Another issue is that because of the number of pools seeking to comply, the equipment is just not out there.
Here's an e-mail I got from someone trying to sort this out at UMASS:
One thing everyone should understand, the Act is targeted primarily at pools and spas with one main drain. All three of our pools have two main drains and are separated by a distance beyond that which is required. Unfortunately the Act reaches beyond the one main drain provision and requires that all drain covers are to be replaced with “ASME A112.19-2007” certified stamp embossed on the grate. This is the language that has burdened so many pool operators around the country. It does not take into account whether your pool has twenty drains or if your current drain covers are already fashioned for anti-entrapment; it requires you to replace them anyway. You can then easily surmise that the whole country is now trying to procure drain covers with the certified markings, and with a limited amount of distributing vendors and a more limited amount of inventory stock, the price and timeline are basically uncontrollable by the purchaser.
