NACCHO, in conjunction with Axiall Corporation, completed a survey of recreational water facility inspection protocols, and identified violations that affect swimmers nationwide.
On May 27, Athletic Business magazine published an online article about the survey, quoting NACCHO staff about the results’ importance and implications. Jennifer Li, the director of environmental health and health and disability, said, “NACCHO’s recent survey for local health department inspectors of recreational water facilities was designed to help inspectors better understand the challenges and most common water quality violations to more effectively educate commercial pool owners and operators on how to prevent them from happening in the future. This survey could not have been possible without input from the water treatment experts at Axiall.”
The study was funded by the Accu-Tab Chlorination System, a part of the Axiall Corporation, and the final report will be released late this summer.
Preliminary results showed that 75 percent of responding local health departments had to shut down a commercial pool in their area within the past two years.
The reasons most typically cited for pools that were shut down included low sanitation or chlorine levels and out of balance pH. About one third of respondents always found violations in apartment complexes. More than half reported violations in 2 out of 3 inspections. Another approximate one third found that hotels/motels had the most water quality violations.
The survey itself consisted of open ended and multiple choice questions dealing with topics such as the most common violations at various types of facilities, training of health inspectors, inspection components and local regulations.
NACCHO and Axiall will present their findings during the National Swimming Pool Foundation’s World Aquatic Health Conference Oct. 8-10, 2014 in Portland, Ore.
