February 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 62

Model Aquatic Health Code Update
The MAHC is intended to serve as a model and guide
for state and local health enforcement agencies. It is
not required that states adopt the MAHC in its entirety or even use it as a model. It does not have the same
legislative authority of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool
and Spa Safety Act that has recently impacted the construction and renovation of swimming pool drains. Once
completed, the MAHC may in practice be considered a
standard rather than a model. State enforcement agencies may make changes to bring their codes up to the
implied standard. If that happens, aquatic facility designers, contractors, owners, and operators will see
changes in how facilities are built and operated. These
changes may involve increases in construction and operating costs in states that more significantly upgrade
their codes in order to meet the higher standards.
More information can be found on the MAHC at the
CDC web site at www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/
pools/mahc. Information about the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act can be found through links
at the Consumer Product Safety Commission swimming pool safety web site at www.poolsafely.gov.
by John F. Whitmore, CPRP, who served as the Vice Chair
of the MAHC Operator Training Technical Committee, is a
past president of the NRPA National Aquatic Branch, and
currently serves as the Organizational Development Manager
for the City of Denton, Texas.

courtesy Aquatic Design Group

If you have taken a plunge into your local community
pool, you have enjoyed the efforts of your state and local
authorities to provide a safe and healthful aquatic environment. Everything from the design of the facility, to the quality of the water, to the training of the staff falls under the
jurisdiction of these authorities. While all of these health
assurance agencies work to maintain a high quality environment, there are great differences among the codes
each state uses to establish that standard. Enter the Center for Disease Control (CDC)-the federal agency under
the Department of Health and Human Services charged
with the prevention and control of communicable diseases in the United States. The CDC realized the need to create a " model aquatic health code " that can serve as a guide
for state regulatory agencies to update their codes to the
" best available standards and practices for protecting public health " and to establish consistency in code application.
Since the creation of the idea in 2005, the Model Aquatic
Health Code (MAHC) has progressed from an initial " strawman " outline to " public comment " drafts for several modules.
This has been done by enlisting professional input for each
module by individual technical committees that are organized
with oversight from the MAHC Steering Committee. The most
significant MAHC sections include a comprehensive list of
construction and operational definitions, listings of design
standards and construction, and model operation and facility management policies. The Steering Committee periodically seeks public comment on draft modules on their web site.

Salem Family
Aquatics Center

Daniels' expectations. " We usually had about 11,00012,000 patrons every season at the old pool, " she says.
" Last summer, we had 50,000 people enjoy the facility. It really blew us away...just knocked our socks off. "
For the previous 10 years, the city of Salem supplemented operating costs to the tune of $37,000 per
year. In 2010, the facility ended the season $20,000
in the black. Daniels says they did raise fees slightly
with the new facility, but made up the costs because
of the tremendous support by the community.
" Aquatics isn't about costs, " says Whitmore. " Everyone has to tell the wonderful story of aquatics
and its value to the community. If you sit someone
down and say two simple words-high dive-I bet
you'd hear about an emotional experience that was
a right of passage. But that story isn't being told, so
officials aren't hearing why aquatics is important-
not because it's an easy place to cut cost, but because it has value in a community. "

Rachel Roberts is a former editor of Parks &

Recreation and a frequent contributor to the magazine.

60 Parks & Recreation

FEBRUARY 2011

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February 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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