Public Swimming Pools

Public swimming pools, spas and special use pools are regulated under the authority of Chapter 3749 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) and Chapter 3701-31 of the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC).

One of the more seasonal programs conducted by our Environmental Health Staff is the inspection of all public swimming pools one to two times a month. While we have a number of public swimming pools that operate all year round, the majority of public swimming pools in Warren County operate only during the summer months.

Recreational Water Illnesses (RWI’s) are prevented by maintaining proper water chemistry, as well as, properly operating recirculation, filtration and disinfection equipment. These items are checked during each pool and spa inspection. Safety is improved by our insuring the availability of safety equipment, warning signs, life guard certifications and the maintenance and sanitation of related structures during our inspections. Operators are required to keep a log of the water quality tests, accidents which occurred and chemicals added on a Weekly Operation Report. For situations when a pool or spa is contaminated with fecal or vomitus material, the Fecal Incident Flow Chart must be followed.

Plan Approval

If a pool or spa is renovated or substantially altered, Plan Review must be submitted to the Ohio Department of Health and approval received before any work is started. The following activities qualify as a renovation or substantial alteration:

• Construction that changes the depth, shape or the other basic design features of a public swimming pool or spa in a manner that affects pool or spa patron safety or circulation system design, changes or replaces a pool or spa’s deck, changes the basic design of a diving board or adds a special feature.
• Complete replacement of the recirculation system.
• Installation of a diving board or diving stand except for a replacement.
• Replacement of all return piping, or all skimmer piping from the filter room to the pool or the main drain fitting and pipe.
• Replacement of more than fifty percent of the gutter overflow system or more than fifty percent of the total number of inlets and outlets.
• Replacement of the Fence Around the Pool.

Equipment Replacement

For equipment replacement, approval must be obtained by submitting an Equipment Replacement Form to the Ohio Department of Health.

Equipment replacement refers to one of the following

• Replacement of a disinfection reagent feed device with one using a different reagent, different method of delivery or different flow capacity.
• Replacement of an individual filter with one using a different media or a different filtration rate or backwash capacity.
• Replacement of an individual pump with one that has a different horsepower or pump flow capacity.