Industry can fix water standards.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)

As a regulator, I found the article by AmyJo Brown titled "Standard Issue" (October 2003) to be of particular interest.

The state of Texas has public swimming facilities that have been in operation since the 1920s. These pools were filled with water from springs, rivers or lakes that had had their natural flow either diverted or restricted to create a swimming area. Some were filled with water at the beginning of the day and then drained at the end of the day. Many of these types of natural swimming pools are still in operation; however, most of these facilities now recirculate, filter and sanitize the water.

Swimming pools in Texas that are classified as "public" pools, that is, any pool other than one associated with a single residence or a duplex, are regulated.

The Texas Department of Health, the Bureau of Environmental Health, and the General Sanitation and Product Safety Division are charged with promulgating rules that establish minimum standards for the construction, operation and maintenance of public pools. Incorporated municipalities may pass laws that regulate public pools within their respective jurisdictions; however, their laws must be either the same as or more stringent than the state's rules.

The article compared different states' standards with one another--in particular, required chlorine levels, clarity disk and main drain visibility, and maximum levels of cyanuric acid. I was surprised to see that Texas was not included in the article's comparison.

In 1945, legislation to regulate public pools was passed in Texas. In 1965, rules were written and adopted that set standards in accordance with the current public health engineering practices of the day.

Since 1965, chlorine levels have been required to be maintained at a minimum of 1.0 ppm free available chlorine. In 1999, the rules were updated to incorporate current acceptable industry standards and practices. As of October 1, 1999, swimming pools are required to have a 1.0 ppm chlorine residual and 2.5 ppm bromine. A spa must have 2.0 ppm free chlorine or 4.5 bromine. Maximum and minimum pH levels for both pools and spas are 7.0 to 7.8. Clarity in the 1999 rules requires the main drain or deepest point in the pool or ...