WAC 246-260-071   Wading pool design, construction, and equipment.  For more general design and construction requirements that pertain to all pools, see WAC 246-260-031.

     (1) Walking surfaces. Owners shall design and maintain pool walking surfaces:

     (a) Four feet or more wide; and

     (b) With a surface area of sixteen square feet per bather at the facility with both a swimming pool and wading pool when swimming pool is fifteen hundred square feet or more.

     (2) Wading pool floor and wall dimensional design. Owners shall ensure pool dimensional designs for floors and walls provide for bather safety and do not hinder water circulation and quality. Designs must include:

     (a) Coved at the intersection of walls with floors; and

     (b) Uniform pool floor slopes not exceeding one foot of drop in twelve feet of run.

     (3) Wading pool entry and exit. Owners shall provide one or more means of entry and exit on all pools including one of the following:

     (a) Stairs including:

     (i) Nonslip tread finish;

     (ii) Contrasting color stair tread edges;

     (iii) Handrails having leading edges less than eighteen inches beyond and less than eight inches inside (horizontally) the vertical plane of the bottom riser;

     (iv) Riser treads with a minimum unobstructed, horizontal, ten-inch tread depth and minimum two hundred forty square inches of surface area; or

     (v) Riser height uniform and seven and one-half inches or less, except last step leading into pool may be less than uniform height;

     (b) Shallow pool entry must be seven and one-half inches or less in depth;

     (c) Ramp entry into the pool must meet the following construction requirements:

     (i) A handrail extending over the deck edge and extending to the bottom of the ramp for entering and leaving the wading pool;

     (ii) Ramp edges protruding into the pool of contrasting color; and

     (iii) Ramp slope not to exceed one foot in twelve feet.

     (4) Turnover. Owners shall ensure wading pools turn over the entire pool water volume in three hours or less. If wading pools are recirculated jointly with swimming pools, proper means to ensure efficient turnover and treatment of the wading pool must be maintained.

     (5) Pool depth markings. Owners shall provide easily visible depth markings:

     (a) Measured in feet or inches;

     (b) Located on the coping or deck within eighteen inches of the water's edge and positioned to be readable while standing on the deck facing the water;

     (c) Made of slip resistant material;

     (d) Placed at the maximum and minimum water depths;

     (e) Spaced at intervals not exceeding twenty-five feet;

     (f) Uniformly arranged on both sides and ends of the pool; and

     (g) In numbers a minimum of four inches high.

     (6) Bather load. Owners shall provide each bather in a wading pool facility with seven square feet or more of water surface area at all times.

     (7) Emergency equipment. No later than June 1, 2008, owners of existing pools with single main drains shall install emergency equipment to shut off all pumps hooked to the recirculation lines for the pools. This emergency equipment must be placed within twenty feet of the pool and marked with an emergency shutoff sign. The shutoff switch must include an audible alarm which can be heard by those in the area, or the switch must have an alarm that goes to a point where staff is always present during the periods the pool is open.

     (a) Pools with dual main drains meeting the requirements of this section, or other acceptable methods of providing equivalent protection to the emergency shutoff switch, are exempt from this requirement.

     (b) The owner shall check the shutoff switch at least twice annually to determine it is properly operating.

     (c) The department will develop a guidance document to aid owners and designers in potential options to the emergency shutoff switch and audible alarm.



[Statutory Authority: Chapters 70.90 and 43.20 RCW. 04-18-096, § 246-260-071, filed 9/1/04, effective 10/31/04.]