Who has to comply?
With some of the changes
that have taken place since the act was initially passed, it can be confusing
to know if your pool is going to need to comply or not.
There are both public and
private facilities that will need to comply with the act. Any pool that is open
to the public at any time (i.e. non-members or non-tenants including guests and
family), the pool generates income from things such as memberships fees, or if
the facility receives any kind of government funding, it will have to comply.
Schools, universities, and
recreation centers will be among the public facilities affected. Hotels,
fitness and sports clubs, private schools, and water parks are some of the
private facilities affected.
The act states that all
newly built pools, or pools that have had recent work that affects the
operation of the pool, will need to comply. Existing pools must only be made
compliant if it is “readily achievable” with the company’s resources. However
given the relatively low cost of installing a pool lift, it may be difficult to
be excluded from complying on these grounds.
When is the deadline to
comply?
On September 15,
2010 new regulations were signed into law for ADA compliancy in public swimming
pools. These changes must be in place by March 15, 2012.
What do you have to do to comply?
Swimming Pools:
For swimming
pools less than 300 linear feet, only one assisted entry system is necessary,
and must be either an ADA compliant pool lift, or a sloped entry.
For pools over
300 linear feet, the secondary means of assisted entry has to be one of the
following: an addition pool lift or sloped entry, a transfer wall, transfer
system, or pool stairs.
The ADA states that for a pool lift to be
compliant:
1.It must be able
to be independently operated by a person with a disability from the deck or the
water level.
2. It must be
able to lift at least 300 pounds. (Manually rotated lifts are not compliant.)
3. The seat on
the pool lift must be rigid. (Sling seats are not compliant.)
There are also requirements for the space
around the pool lift.
1.It must be installed
in water no deeper than 48 inches, with the only exceptions being; the entire
pool is deeper than 48 inches, or there is another lift in the pool where the
water is not deeper than 48 inches.
2.Have an accessible
route to the assisted entry point.
3.Deck space at
the side of the lift must be clear for lift transfers (36” perpendicular to the side of the seat by 48”
parallel to the seat, measured from 12” behind the back of the seat), and the
centerline of the seat must be at least 16” from the pool edge.
4.The deck must not slope
more than 1” in 48” (1:48).
Spas:
Spas are
required to have at least one pool lift, transfer wall, or transfer system. The
same requirements for the space around the lift apply. If spas are in a
cluster, 5% or at least one spa must have an assisted means of entry.
Other Types of Pools:
Wave pools,
leisure rivers, and other pools with only one pool entry area are required to
have one of the following: a sloped entry, pool lift, or transfer system.
Wading pools are
required to have a sloped entry.
Catch pools
(pool where water slides run out) are not required to have an assisted means of
entry, but one edge of the pool must be on an easily accessible route.