robert4rp08
02-12-2009, 11:45 AM
I just got notice that my apartment building's pool will not be open this summer. It prompted me to write a blurb on my new blog. (Digg if you like it please :D (http://digg.com/political_opinion/Dude_Where_s_My_Pool))
Dude. Where's My Pool? (http://distractiblehominid.blogspot.com/2009/02/dude-wheres-my-pool.html)
My apartment building has a swimming pool available to its tenants. This year, the pool will be closed because "it is too expensive to maintain". Obviously the economic conditions have worsened in the past year, but that is why the management company increased the rent-- to offset the increase in operating costs. However, I suspect that pool maintenance is not covered in those costs because of a new law that went into effect this year.
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:S.1771:) is a sweeping Federal law that requires all public swimming pools and spas be equipped with 'anti-entrapment drain covers and pool and spa drainage systems'. Pools with just one drain must have a second drain system or external shut-off.
Saving people from drowning sounds like a great idea, but consider the following:
First, this is a retroactive law requiring that 'public' pools and spas be modified to meet these standards. This law applies not only to pools and spas maintained by the state, but also to those privately owned and operated, e.g., hotels, private clubs, apartment buildings, etc. Implementing the new drainage system is estimated to cost anywhere from $1,000 to $15,000 per pool. The money is to come from taxpayers and consumers. States are eligible for Federal grants for partial cost coverage. Private entities will have to reach into their own pockets. In the current economic climate, that's a heavy burden on everyone. The consequence is pools shutting down due to lack of available funds.
Second, this law bans the manufacture, sale or distribution of drain covers that don't meet anti-entrapment safety standards and applies to all new portable hot tubs sold for backyard use by consumers. This forces hot tub manufacturers to completely redesign and remanufacture their products, which will ultimately lead some to go out of business resulting in loss of jobs, higher prices, etc.
Third, deaths due to drain suction are a rare occurrence. It is estimated that one person dies because of pool or spa drain suction in a year. The only reason this law came to fruition was the 7-year-old granddaughter of former Secretary of State James A. Baker died after being sucked onto a spa drain in 2002.
So this summer, while sitting next to a waterless pool or spa, you can take solace in knowing that your sacrifice will prevent ONE person from getting sucked onto a drain and drowning to death.
Actually, perhaps swimming, boating, and all water-related activities should be banned outright. According to the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/drown.htm), 4,292 people drowned in 2005, which equates to 12 drowning deaths per day. That's a lot of lives that can be saved!
Primary source of information was this article at CNSNews (http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=40876).
Dude. Where's My Pool? (http://distractiblehominid.blogspot.com/2009/02/dude-wheres-my-pool.html)
My apartment building has a swimming pool available to its tenants. This year, the pool will be closed because "it is too expensive to maintain". Obviously the economic conditions have worsened in the past year, but that is why the management company increased the rent-- to offset the increase in operating costs. However, I suspect that pool maintenance is not covered in those costs because of a new law that went into effect this year.
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:S.1771:) is a sweeping Federal law that requires all public swimming pools and spas be equipped with 'anti-entrapment drain covers and pool and spa drainage systems'. Pools with just one drain must have a second drain system or external shut-off.
Saving people from drowning sounds like a great idea, but consider the following:
First, this is a retroactive law requiring that 'public' pools and spas be modified to meet these standards. This law applies not only to pools and spas maintained by the state, but also to those privately owned and operated, e.g., hotels, private clubs, apartment buildings, etc. Implementing the new drainage system is estimated to cost anywhere from $1,000 to $15,000 per pool. The money is to come from taxpayers and consumers. States are eligible for Federal grants for partial cost coverage. Private entities will have to reach into their own pockets. In the current economic climate, that's a heavy burden on everyone. The consequence is pools shutting down due to lack of available funds.
Second, this law bans the manufacture, sale or distribution of drain covers that don't meet anti-entrapment safety standards and applies to all new portable hot tubs sold for backyard use by consumers. This forces hot tub manufacturers to completely redesign and remanufacture their products, which will ultimately lead some to go out of business resulting in loss of jobs, higher prices, etc.
Third, deaths due to drain suction are a rare occurrence. It is estimated that one person dies because of pool or spa drain suction in a year. The only reason this law came to fruition was the 7-year-old granddaughter of former Secretary of State James A. Baker died after being sucked onto a spa drain in 2002.
So this summer, while sitting next to a waterless pool or spa, you can take solace in knowing that your sacrifice will prevent ONE person from getting sucked onto a drain and drowning to death.
Actually, perhaps swimming, boating, and all water-related activities should be banned outright. According to the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/drown.htm), 4,292 people drowned in 2005, which equates to 12 drowning deaths per day. That's a lot of lives that can be saved!
Primary source of information was this article at CNSNews (http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=40876).