[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners
of the Township of Haverford 11-9-1964 by Ord. No. 1250. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
The following rules and regulations adopted
by the Department of Health of the Township of Haverford at a meeting
duly held on October 14, 1964, and known as the "Code Governing the
Operation and Maintenance of Public Bathing Places in the Township
of Haverford," be and the same are hereby approved and adopted.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any body of water used by the public for swimming and recreational
bathing and shall include but not be limited to indoor and outdoor
pools and wading pools, whether operated for profit or not. This term
does not include baths where the main object is the cleansing of the
body or the practice of healing under medical supervision, unless
such baths contain pools or tanks used collectively by a number of
individuals.
New clean water used to fill the pool, refill the pool or
replenish the pool.
The person responsible for the operation and maintenance
of a bathing place.
All applicable procedures and methods recorded in the latest
issue of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage,
published by the American Public Health Association.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
A.
Every person who constructs or installs or intends
to construct or install or who desires to extend, alter or modify
a bathing place shall have plans and specifications for such construction,
installation, alteration, extension or modification approved in writing
by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and by the Director of Code
Enforcement of the Township of Haverford before beginning the work
or before permitting the work to be started by a contractor or any
employee.
B.
The application for approval of plans required above
shall contain complete plans and specifications fully describing the
bathing place or extension, alteration or change contemplated in the
application and shall be made on forms provided by the Pennsylvania
Department of Health and by the Director of Code Enforcement of the
Town of Haverford.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960; 3-11-1991 by Ord. No.
2109; 2-8-1993 by Ord. No. 2168; 8-8-1994 by Ord. No. 2209]
A.
Operation license. No person, firm or corporation
shall operate a public bathing place without first obtaining a license
from the Health Department of Haverford Township and paying an annual
license and inspection fee as established by resolution of the Board
of Commissioners, which may be amended from time to time, to defray
the administrative costs of inspections, consultations and servicing
of the public bathing places of the Township of Haverford. All such
inspections, consultations and services shall be for the purpose of
ascertaining compliance with the rules and regulations set forth in
this chapter.
(1)
Such person shall post the license, including the
Pennsylvania Department of Health's permit and electrical certificate,
in the principal office of the bathing place or in the entryway or
in any other conspicuous place approved by the Director of Health.
(2)
The operator of a bathing place shall be held responsible
for compliance with all the provisions of this chapter on and within
the premises operated under such a license.
(3)
The operator shall have had experience in operating
and knowledge of any treatment processes necessary in order to maintain
clean water in the pool at all times and shall have knowledge of the
basic scientific principles relating to the proper operation of bathing
places, including the treatment processes and pool plumbing.
(4)
Except for public bathing places located at continuing-care facilities for the elderly, as defined in § 182-106B, which public bathing places are open for use only by residents of such facilities and their guests, one or more lifeguards in adequate number shall be on duty waterside at a public bathing place at all times such bathing place is open for use by bathers. While they are on waterside duty, lifeguards shall not be assigned other tasks that will divert their attention from the safety of the bather. Lifeguards need not be assigned to hot tubs, spas or whirlpools.
(5)
If it is found that the provisions of this chapter
are not being complied with or that any condition exists which, in
the opinion of the Department of Health of Haverford Township, endangers
the life, safety or health of the users of any swimming pool or other
bathing place, said Department may revoke the operator's license.
B.
Investigation of bathing places. Bathing places shall
be open at all reasonable times to inspect by the Director of Health.
C.
Reports.
(1)
It shall be the duty of every operator and of every
employee in every bathing place to furnish such records and information
as are required by the Director of Health for ascertaining compliance
with the provisions of this chapter.
(2)
All operators of bathing places shall keep records
of operations, which shall include daily records of chemicals added,
the time of cleansing of the filters, the time of cleaning the pool,
the daily bathing load, a record of all breakdowns of equipment operation
and hourly, daily and monthly records of the amount of free bromine
and chlorine residual in the pool from locations designated by the
Director of Health. The aforesaid records shall be open to the inspection
of the Director of Health.
C.
Disposal of sewage and liquid waste. All sewage and
liquid waste, except pool wastewater, shall be disposed of in the
Township sanitary sewer system. All pool wastewater shall be disposed
of in a safe and sanitary manner as approved by the Director of Health.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
D.
Location. No bathing place shall be so located as
to be within the influence of the discharge of sewage or of injurious
or objectionable industrial wastes.
E.
Dressing rooms. Bathing places shall have separate
dressing rooms for each sex which are adequate for the maximum number
of persons who can be accommodated at any one time. Adequate minimum
requirements for bathing places are as follows:
F.
Toilets. Adequate and separate toilet facilities for
each sex shall be provided at all bathhouses. Flush toilets and urinals
shall be provided and shall be properly maintained.
G.
Lavatories. Lavatories shall be provided and located
adjacent to the toilet facilities and there shall be provided soap
and towels.
H.
Common use of toilet articles. The common use of drinking
cups, towels, hairbrushes or other toilet articles is prohibited.
I.
Maintenance of premises. All parts of the premises
shall be adequately clean, safe and maintained in a sanitary manner
at all times.
J.
Lighting. A complete system of artificial lighting
shall be provided for all pools, bathing beaches, bathhouses and dressing
rooms that are to be used at night. Lighting fixtures shall be of
such number and design as to light all parts of the swimming pool
and the water therein. Such lights and electrical wiring in all bathing
places shall be installed in accordance with the provisions of applicable
existing laws. The electrical certificate showing approval of the
installation of the electrical system is to be posted in a conspicuous
place.
A.
The chemical and physical quality of the water shall
be as prescribed in the recommendations of the American Public Health
Association's current edition of Recommended Practice for Design Equipment
and Operation of Swimming Pools and Bathing Places. Licenses shall
be suspended automatically if the minimum requirements, as provided,
are not complied with.
B.
The Department of Health of Haverford Township will
determine what purification processes are necessary to maintain the
standards herein required. When filtration equipment is provided or
required, such equipment shall operate at a rate of filtration not
to exceed three gallons per square foot per minute with an eight-hour
turnover and wash rate of 12 to 15 gallons per square foot per minute.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
C.
Bromine, liquid chlorine, sodium or calcium hypochlorite
or other approved chlorine compounds shall be used for swimming pool
disinfection. The amount of free-chlorine residual in the water at
all times when the pool is in use shall not be less than 0.4 parts
per million nor exceed 1.0 parts per million. Bromine, using a bromine
test kit, shall not fall below 1.0 parts per million nor exceed 3.0
parts per million and, when using a chlorine test kit, shall not fall
below 0.5 parts per million nor exceed 1.5 parts per million.
D.
The water at all times when the pool is in use shall
show an alkaline reaction of not less than 7.2 and not exceeding 7.8,
and for chlorine and for bromine reaction, the water shall show a
pH of 7.1 and not exceeding 7.5.
E.
At all times when the pool is in use, the water shall
be sufficiently clear to permit a black disk, six inches in diameter
in a white field, when placed on the bottom of the pool at the deepest
point, to be clearly visible from the sidewalk around the pool.
F.
The water in any indoor pool shall be heated to a
temperature of 68° F. to 72° F. The temperature of the air
surrounding an artificially heated swimming pool shall not be permitted
to become more than eight degrees Fahrenheit warmer nor more than
two degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the water in a pool at any time
when the pool is in use.
G.
Not more than 10% of representative samples of pool
water taken on different days shall contain more than 100 bacteria
per cubic centimeter of water according to a bacteria count as determined
by a standard nutrient agar test with 24 hours incubation at 37°
C.
H.
No more than two out of five samples collected on
the same day nor more than three out of 10 consecutive samples collected
on different days shall have a positive presumptive test for B. coli
in ten-cubic-centimeter portions.
I.
Bacteriological analyses of the water in the bathing
places, when in use, shall be made at least weekly or more often if
required, and copies of the results of such analyses shall be filed
promptly in the office of the Haverford Township Department of Health.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
J.
Samples collected from public bathing places shall
be examined for bacteriological analysis, in accordance with the latest
edition of Standard Methods of Water Analysis of the American Public
Health Association, by a laboratory approved by this Department and
equipped for carrying out the techniques specified.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
A.
A swimming pool shall be constructed so as to be watertight
and easily cleaned. It shall be made of a nonabsorbent material with
a smooth surface and shall be free of open cracks and joints.
B.
Two ladders with handrails shall be provided at the
deep end of the pool, and two ladders or steps with handrails shall
be provided at the shallow end of the pool. Wooden steps or ladders
shall not be used. The ladders and steps shall be kept safe and clean.
C.
Walks in the pool area shall have a nonslip surface
which can be cleaned readily. Floor maps, if provided, shall be made
of a nonporous, rough surface of perforated rubber, plastic or other
suitable material and shall be of such size that they can be readily
removed and cleaned.
D.
The area for sale and service of food and for spectators
shall be separated from the pool so as to prevent contamination of
the pool.
E.
A pool shall be provided with outlets, including one
at the deepest point, of a sufficient size to drain the entire pool
within eight hours. The drain outlets shall be properly covered with
gratings and shall be in accordance with the Plumbing Ordinance of
Haverford Township.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 132, Plumbing.
F.
A pool constructed after the effective date of this
chapter shall have an overflow scum gutter at the high-water line
or a cleaning device which is approved by the Department of Health
of Haverford Township. Drainage outlets in all pools shall be provided
every 15 feet in the gutters. Such outlets shall have a trap at least
the size of the drain pipes and shall be covered with gratings. The
drainage pipes shall be at least three inches in diameter. The drains
shall be designed with an air gap so as to prevent the reversal of
flow into the pool and shall be installed under the provisions of
the Plumbing Ordinance of Haverford Township.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
G.
A pool shall have inlets of such size and spacing
in relation to the outlets and to the size and shape of the pool so
as to facilitate uniform circulation of water throughout the pool.
There shall be no direct connection between the piping system of the
pool and the domestic water supply system.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960; 6-13-1988 by Ord. No.
2019; 3-12-2012 by Ord. No. 2660]
Any person, firm or corporation violating any
provision of this article shall, upon summary conviction before any
District Justice of the Peace, pay a fine not exceeding $1,000 and
costs of prosecution; and in default of one payment of the fine and
costs, the violator may be sentenced to the county jail for a term
of not more than 90 days. Whenever such person shall have been officially
notified by the Director of Health or by the service of a summons
in a prosecution or in any other official manner that he is committing
a violation of this chapter or the rules and regulations approved
and herein adopted, each day that he shall continue such violation
after such notification shall constitute a separate offense punishable
by a like fine or penalty. Such fines or penalties shall be collected
as like fines or penalties are now by law collected.
