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Many states have only general aquatic guidelines, but those that have detailed, comprehensive pool codes, such as Florida and Nevada, along with the most in-depth service technician/operator certification programs, emphasize the importance of proper filtration and circulation. Along with sanitation regulations, user, structural, electrical safety requirements, circulation and filtration are also a key focus, yet by all indications, there is an oversight in the aquatic industry, and the Center For Disease Control (CDC), based on its published proposed modules, is poised in its Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) to be equally remiss in providing for bather health.
It is mind-boggling that only half of the states even require a pool operator to receive formal training and certification by an authorized industry organization, such as the National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF) or Association of Pool and Spa Professions (APSP).
At best, the codes include minimum turnover rates, almost universally requiring at least one turnover every four hours for public pools (cf. Southern Nevada Pool Code, section 610.10 Filtering and Circulation), or six per every 24 hours. They include maximum velocity rates, often not to exceed 10 feet per second (cf. Florida Administrative Code (FAC), Chapter 64E-9.007 (10) Public Swimming Pools and Bathing Places, Recirculation and Treatment System Requirements). Some require a “portable or plumbed-in vacuum-cleaning system” (FAC, supra, subsection 12). However, nowhere are there any regulations or even guidelines that require: