Top Pool Rules New Code in Arizona Stirs Controversy Due to an increase in pool-related injuries and deaths, Maricopa County, Ariz., recently implemented stricter regulations for public swimming pools, which include those at multifamily communities. As of March, the code requires dual main drains, antivortex drain covers, and higher fences on all new pools. Property owners must retrofit existing pools with dual main drains the next time they resurface the pools or within 10 years, whichever comes first.
The Arizona Multihousing Association (AMA) supports the dual-drain requirement for new swimming pool and spa construction but lobbied against mandating retrofitted dual main drains, saying it doesn’t make financial sense. “It’s one of those mom-and-apple pie issues, where it’s difficult to say you are coming out against safety, but the numbers and the economics just don’t justify it,” says Terry Feinberg, AMA’s executive vice president.
There have been only three injuries, all non-fatal, due to drain entrapment in Maricopa County in the past two decades, Feinberg says. Yet upgrading to dual drains can cost as much as $3,500 per pool, not including costs of construction and water to refill the pool.
“On a cost-benefit basis, you just can’t justify it,” he says. “There are many more ways to ensure safety than having to spend that kind of money. But it’s the law, and we will do it.”
More cost-effective alternatives, Feinberg suggests, include replacing regular drain covers with antivortex ones and installing emergency shut-off switches that kill the pump. The AMA also encourages resident education, which is why the group introduced Project S.A.F.E. (Safety and Awareness Family Education).
The annual program trains apartment residents in pool safety.
“Education of the resident population and making sure that the gates work are probably the two greatest things that can be done toward pool safety,” Feinberg says.