Until 2014, there was no nationwide standard issued by a government agency covering the maintenance of public pools, spas and other recreational water venues.

As the National Swimming Pool Foundation^® begins to celebrate its 50^th year anniversary, it is busy preparing for the 12^th Annual World Aquatic Health™ Conference (WAHC).

Although you may not look forward to a pool inspection by a local health inspector, it's best to think of the visits as extra layers of protection to guard against potential problems. Health inspectors don’t visit with the goal of shutting down your pool. The job of an inspector is to spot issues and enforce local and state regulations to benefit public health. You can help prepare for your pool’s inspection by understanding the regulations and certifications health inspector refer during those inspections. 

If you’ve read the last Keeping Tabs post on takeaways from the NACCHO-Axiall “Looking for Trouble” survey, you’ve learned crucial information about what aquatic facility inspectors are looking for, the standards they adhere to and how to avoid some of the most common causes of pool shutdowns. But with even more recent data from the CDC on swimming pool outbreaks, as reported on NBC's Today Show, health inspectors are on high alert across the nation as the July 4th holiday weekend approaches.  

If you’re a pool manager, safety and cleanliness are probably right at the top of your job description. But pool operators are also tasked with keeping the pool running and in business, period. Health inspectors play a large role in determining whether a facility must be shut down due to non-compliance or serious

Maintaining a safe pool is about more than just good chlorination practices and fishing out the occasional leaf or tree branch. Although a low maintenance system like the Accu-Tab® Chlorination system can be a great way to add the proper amounts of chlorine to your pool to stave off bacteria and other contaminants, undesirably high pH levels can result in scale deposits and restricting water flow.

"Swings in pH can result in considerable pool damage,” says Westlake Water Solutions’s senior research associate, Dr. Stanley Pickens. “Metal fixtures or head exchangers may be corroded and corrosion products can stain plaster. Control of pH can also be important in keeping chlorine working properly. Extremes of pH can be irritating or damaging to skin and eyes.”