[Adopted 6-13-1989 as Ord. No. 1202]
Unless otherwise expressly stated, the following
words shall, for the purpose of this ordinance, have the meanings
herein indicated:
The unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere
between the lowest opening from any pipe or faucet supplying water
to a tank, plumbing fixture or other device and the flood level rim
of the receptacle.
The flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances
into the distributing pipes of a potable supply of water from any
source or sources other than the approved source.
The Board of Health of the Township of Springfield.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
New fresh unused clean water used to fill or refill the pool;
new clean water used to replace loss by splashing or during cleaning
of the pool or to replace water taken from the pool and returned after
filtration; or any combination of such water.
Any physical connection or arrangement between two otherwise
separate piping systems, one of which contains potable water and the
other steam, gas, a chemical or water of unknown or questionable safety,
whereby there may be a flow from one system to the other, the direction
depending on pressure differential between the two systems.
The Department of Environmental Resources of the commonwealth.
All putrescible wastes, except sewage and body waste, including
animal and vegetable offal.
The duly appointed Health Officer of the Township of Springfield.
The adopted code as provided in Chapter 37 of the Code of
the Township of Springfield.
The person responsible for the operation of a public bathing
place.
Any individual, partnership, corporation, association, authority
or any other private or public entity.
Any outdoor or indoor place used for amateur, professional
or recreative swimming or bathing, whether or not a fee is charged
for admission or for the use of said place, together with buildings,
equipment and appurtenances pertaining thereto. This term does not
include a bathing place at a private single-family unit which is used
solely by the owner of the residence, his family and their personal
guests, nor does it 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 designed for swimming and water used
collectively by a number of individuals. Further, it is not intended
that this definition include the tanks or pools used by spas or tanks
known as "hot tubs."
All nonputrescible wastes generally regarded and classified
as rubbish, trash, junk and similar designations which have been rejected
by the owner or possessor thereof as useless or worthless to him.
A well, spring, cistern, infiltration gallery, stream, reservoir
or pond from which water is taken either intermittently or continuously
for use by the public.
All applicable procedures and methods recorded in the latest
issue of Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Sewage, published
by the American Public Health Association and the American Water Works
Association.
A body of water of such size in relation to the bathing load
that the quality and quantity of the water confined must be mechanically
controlled for the purpose of purification and contained in an impervious
structure.
The number of hours required to completely replenish the
water in a pool or to recirculate a quantity of water equal to the
capacity of the pool.
A body of water designed for use by children which is not
deeper than three feet and of such size in relation to the bathing
load that the quality and quantity of the water confined must be mechanically
controlled for the purpose of purification and contained in an impervious
structure.
A source or sources of water, as well as any and all water
treatment, storage, transmission and distribution facilities.
A.
Every person who plans to construct, erect or install
a public bathing place or who desires to extend, alter or modify the
same shall have adequate plans and specifications for such construction,
installation, alteration, extension or modification. Said plans and
specifications shall be approved in writing by the commonwealth, and
a similar set of plans and specifications shall be submitted to the
township's Code Enforcement Office to obtain the necessary zoning,
grading and construction permits required by applicable chapters of
the Code of the Township of Springfield.
B.
Construction may start only upon issuance and receipt
of a township permit and shall be in compliance with plans, designs
and other data approved by the Department and the township Code Enforcement
Office. Initial occupancy shall occur only after receipt of a certificate
of occupancy from the Code Enforcement Office.
C.
The permittee shall notify the Department at the time
of completion of the construction of the public bathing place to permit
inspection before the public bathing place is placed in operation.
The permittee shall also notify the Board of Health to permit township
inspection and to obtain a certificate of occupancy for said facility.
Construction permits may be suspended or revoked for failure to comply
with the provisions of this ordinance or applicable provisions of
the Code of the Township of Springfield.
A.
The permittee shall not deny free access to the premises
by the Health Officer at all times the premises is occupied for the
purpose of making the necessary inspections which are to be conducted
at various times to determine compliance with the requirements of
this ordinance and the Code of the Township of Springfield.
B.
If it is found that the provisions of this ordinance
are not being complied with or that a condition exists which, in the
opinion of the Health Officer, endangers the life, safety or health
of the users of any public bathing place, the Health Officer may require
that the public bathing place be vacated until the matter has been
satisfactorily adjusted, and, failing prompt remedy of the condition,
the Health Officer may close the facility and the operator may be
cited for the violation and be subject to the penalties herein provided.
A.
The water used at all public bathing places shall
not be bacteriologically contaminated or contain any impurity in amounts
which would be injurious or hazardous to the health of the bathers.
B.
All pools shall be provided with a recirculation and
filtration system.
C.
The turnover period for wading pools shall be not
more than two hours. The turnover period for other types of pools
shall be no more than eight hours.
D.
All water in the pool shall be sufficiently clear
to permit a black disc, six inches in diameter, on a white field,
when placed on the bottom of the pool at the deepest point, to be
clearly visible from the runway or deck around the deep area of the
pool.
E.
Water shall be introduced to and withdrawn from the
pool so as to provide uniform circulation and uniform disinfectant
residual throughout the entire pool.
F.
Where sand and/or anthrafilt filters are used, equipment
shall be provided capable of continuously adding, with reasonably
accurate dosage, coagulant ahead of the filters.
G.
Overflow facilities shall be provided and water levels
in the pool maintained to effectively remove scum, debris or other
floating matter.
H.
I.
Disinfection of the pool water shall be provided as
follows:
(1)
Whenever chlorine or a hypochlorite compound is used,
the free chlorine residual in the water in all parts of the pool when
in use shall be not less than 0.4 milligram per liter and the pH value
of the water shall be not less than 7.2 and no greater than 8.2.
(2)
Other disinfecting material or methods may be used
after approval by the Department when they have been adequately demonstrated
to:
(3)
A chlorinator or other approved device for disinfection
of the bathing place water must be in mechanical order prior to the
start of the season. Hand distribution of disinfectant is not an approved
method and is a violation of this ordinance.
J.
Testing kits shall be provided for making the necessary
tests for residual disinfection and pH. The kit for disinfectant residual
shall be accurate within 0.1 milligram per liter of chlorine or equivalent.
The pH kit shall be accurate within 0.2 pH units. When the pool is
in use, tests shall be made before opening for the day's activity
and at least every three hours the public swimming place is operating,
or more often if it is determined necessary by the Health Officer.
[Amended 3-13-1990 by Ord. No. 1221]
(1)
A water test kit must be kept on hand, which at a
minimum should be capable of testing for disinfectant level, pH, total
alkalinity and water hardness.
(2)
The kit must be in good working condition and used
in accordance with the directions supplied by the manufacturer.
(3)
Water testing chemicals are unreliable after one year,
even under ideal conditions, with the exception of phenol red, which
has a maximum shelf life of six months. Outdated chemicals must be
discarded and replaced with fresh ones.
A.
The permittee shall be responsible for the collection and examination of samples for the purity of the water used for swimming or bathing. Such samples shall be examined by a laboratory which complies with the provisions of § 126-22 of this ordinance, relating to laboratory testing.
B.
A bacteriological analysis shall be made at least
once each week of a sample collected during the period of maximum
use of the public bathing place. Additional analyses of additional
samples shall be furnished by the permittee upon notification by the
Department or Health Officer.
C.
Copies of reports of analyses shall be maintained
by the permittee for at least two years and made available to the
Department and the Health Officer upon request.
Weekly water analysis by an approved laboratory
shall be conducted and copies of the test results mailed to the Health
Officer. These samples should be collected during the period of maximum
use of the facility. Laboratory tests of water shall be performed
by competent personnel in accordance with the procedure provided in
the current edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water
and Wastewater, published jointly by the American Public Health Association
and the American Water Works Association. Conformity with these standards
shall be evidenced by a statement from the laboratory to such effect.
Daily records of tests and of the operation
of the public bathing place shall be kept on forms satisfactory to
the Department, and copies thereof shall be filed monthly, or more
often if required, with the appropriate office of the Department and
the Health Officer.
The water in a public bathing place shall be
considered contaminated when:
A.
More than one ten-milliliter portion of any sample
shows a positive test for coliform organisms when multitube fermentation
technique is used or more than 1.0 coliform per 50 milliliters when
the membrane filter test is used.
B.
Two consecutive samples show a positive test for coliform
organisms in any ten-milliliter portion of any sample when multitube
fermentation technique is used or more than 1.0 coliform per 50 milliliters
when the membrane filter test is used.
C.
Two of any 10 consecutive samples show a positive
test for coliform organisms in any of the ten-milliliter portions
of any sample when the multitube fermentation technique is used, or
more than 1.0 coliform per 50 milliliters when the membrane filter
test is used.
A.
Cross-connections and backflow shall not be permitted.
B.
A cross-connection is considered broken if a minimum
air gap of at least the diameter of the water pipe is provided where
potable water enters the pool and where pool water or water from the
recirculation system is discharged to a sewer system.
C.
A potable water distributing pipe shall be considered
as protected against backflow from any plumbing fixture or other piece
of equipment or appliance capable of affecting the quality of the
water in the potable water supply if an air gap of at least twice
the diameter of the water supply pipe has been provided.
D.
Where it is not practicable to provide this minimum
air gap, the connection to the fixture equipment or appliance shall
be equipped with a backflow preventer assembly of a type and at a
location approved by the Department and the township.
E.
The Department and the township may require that a
backflow presenter assembly of a type and location approved by the
Department and township be installed at any fixed potable water outlet
to which a hose may be connected and used in contact with liquids
or other substances.
F.
Plumbing shall be so sized, installed and maintained as to carry adequate quantities of water to required locations throughout the public bathing place, to prevent contamination of the water supply and to properly convey sewage and liquid waste to the sewerage or approved sewage disposal system. All work shall conform to Chapter 96, Plumbing Code, Chapter 111, Sewers, and other applicable provisions of the Code of the Township of Springfield.
A.
Adequate bather preparation facilities shall be available
to all users of the bathing place.
B.
Bather preparation facilities shall be provided with
separate dressing facilities, showers, lavatories, toilets and appurtenances
for each sex, unless such facilities are otherwise readily available
to all users of the bathing place.
C.
Bather preparation facilities shall be designed and
constructed so that good sanitation can be maintained throughout the
building at all times and so that potential injury to the bather is
reduced to a practical minimum. Interior walls and floors shall be
surfaced with material which is readily cleanable and the floors drained
to prevent standing water. Sufficient lighting shall be provided to
cleanliness and public safety. Ventilation and heating shall be such
as to provide for the comfort of the bather.
D.
Drinking water facilities shall be provided at all
bathing places. The drinking water shall meet the requirements contained
in the latest edition of Drinking Water Standards, published by the
United States Public Health Service. Individual water supplies used
for drinking purposes shall meet the minimum construction standards
of the Department.
Construction, equipment, operation and maintenance
at all public bathing places shall be such as to reduce to a practical
minimum the danger or injury to persons from drowning, falls, collisions,
fires, nuisances or a hazard of any kind.
A.
The following minimum lifesaving and first-aid equipment
shall be provided and shall be readily available for emergency use
at each public bathing place:
(1)
One or more reaching devices. These devices may include,
but are not limited to, poles, ropes and any reasonable means to extend
a person's reach.
(2)
One or more buoys, life jackets or flotation devices
that can support an adult in water.
(3)
A standard twenty-four-unit first aid kit, filled
and readily accessible for emergency use.
(4)
A sign board displayed at the exterior of the office
bearing the phone emergency services, fire, ambulance, police and
poison control telephone numbers.
B.
Gas chlorination equipment.
(1)
Where gas chlorination equipment is installed at either
an outdoor or indoor pool, such equipment shall be housed in a separate
room equipped with an exhaust fan to reduce to a practical minimum
the opportunity of gas leakage into other rooms or areas where persons
gather.
(2)
Where gas chlorination equipment is installed, there
shall be provided a gas mask designed for use in a chlorine atmosphere
and of a type approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety
and Health, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fisher Lane, Rockville, Maryland,
20852.
(3)
A replacement cannister shall be provided with the
gas mask.
(4)
A record shall be kept of gas mask usage to ensure
that the mask will be serviceable when needed.
(5)
The gas mask shall be kept in a closed cabinet, accessible
without a key, located outside the room in which the chlorinator is
maintained.
C.
All electrical controls and storage areas shall be
made inaccessible to the public at all times.
[Added 3-13-1990 by Ord. No. 1221]
A.
The electrical installation at all public bathing
places shall comply with and be maintained in accordance with requirements
of Chapter 37, Electrical Standards, of the Code of the Township of
Springfield.
B.
Distribution centers, where fuses, switches or circuit
breakers are grouped, shall be enclosed and located so as to be inaccessible
to other than authorized persons.
C.
In addition to the grounding requirements for the
electrical equipment and circuits as required by the National Code,
all water and other piping to and from the public bathing place, including
inlet and outlet pipes, shall be metallically bonded together and
adequately connected to the same grounding electrode used to ground
the neutral conductor of the electrical system.
D.
Pumps, filters and other mechanical and electrical
equipment shall be enclosed in such a manner as to be accessible only
to authorized persons. Construction and drainage shall be such as
to avoid the entrance or accumulation of water in the vicinity of
the electrical equipment.
E.
The crossing of outdoor public bathing places by open
overhead electrical conductors is prohibited.
F.
Overhead electrical conductors crossing playgrounds
contiguous to outdoor public bathing places shall comply with the
requirements of the National Electrical Safety Code and with requirements
of Chapter 37, Electrical Standards, of the Code of the Township of
Springfield.
G.
All metal fences or railings on which a broken electrical
conduit might fall shall be effectively grounded. For this purpose,
driven ground rods shall be placed at two locations close to and on
either side of each crossing. For parallel exposure, a ground shall
be provided near each end of the exposure and at intervals of not
more than 300 feet within the exposure.
H.
The electrical installations of all public bathing
places and any future additions or modifications to such installations,
prior to being placed in service and every three years thereafter,
shall be inspected and approved in accordance with these regulations
by an electrical inspection agency approved by the Department, and
evidence, in duplicate, of such approval by this agency shall be forwarded
to the Health Officer.
A.
All bathing places shall be in the charge of a capable
operator, manager or caretaker who shall be responsible for the proper
maintenance and use of the bathing place as provided in the Public
Bathing Law,[1] the permit issued for the bathing place and current rules
and regulations of the Pennsylvania Department of Health relating
to public bathing places and the requirements of this ordinance. A
copy of those rules and regulations, as well as the certificate for
public bathing place, shall be posted conspicuously at the bathing
place for the information of the public. He shall be responsible for
maintaining the bathing place continually in a clean, sanitary and
healthful manner so that it will not constitute a menace to public
health, promote immorality or be a public nuisance.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 35 P.S. § 672
et seq.
B.
One or more competent lifeguards in adequate number
shall be on duty at the water side at all times the bathing place
is open to use by bathers and shall not be assigned other tasks that
will divert their attention from the safety of the bathers. These
lifeguards shall be capable swimmers, skilled in lifesaving methods
and in methods of artificial resuscitation as evidenced by their possession
of a current valid certificate or other proof of proficiency from
a recognized agency offering instructions in these fields, maintained
on the site. The bathing place will be closed and a citation filed
whenever this certification cannot be produced.
(1)
Raised lifeguard chairs shall be used. Lifeguards
should remain in the chair for no more than 30 minutes at a time,
and then rotated to some other task to increase alertness.
(2)
No bathing place may remain open if a lifeguard is
not present.
(3)
The posting of a sign stating swim at your own risk
will not suffice and the operator will receive a citation if this
should occur.
C.
The common use of drinking cups, towels, hairbrushes
or other toilet articles is prohibited.
D.
Bathing suits and towels furnished to bathers must
be thoroughly cleaned and dried each time they are used, in such a
manner as to preclude the transmission of disease, and shall be stored
in a clean and sanitary manner.
E.
No person having a disease in a stage which is communicable
or likely to become so shall be employed at a public bathing place.
Persons with signs of illness or disease or with skin rashes or sores
or with bandages shall be excluded from public bathing places unless
certified by a physician not to have a disease in a communicable stage.
F.
All facilities shall at all times be maintained in
a clean condition and in good repair.
G.
Where food service is provided, the food service facilities must be licensed and operations shall comply with the provisions of Chapter 52, Food Establishments, of the Code of the Township of Springfield.
H.
The storage, collection and disposal of garbage and refuse and general cleanliness shall be conducted in keeping with Chapter 54, Garbage and Rubbish, of the Code of the Township of Springfield.
I.
Adequate measures for the control of arthropods and
rodents which the Health Office deems a public health hazard shall
be taken in a manner satisfactory to the Board of Health.
A.
Where a public sewer is accessible, sewage shall be discharged to such sewer. All sewage systems serving public bathing places shall be approved by the Department and meet the requirements of Chapter 96, Plumbing Code, and Chapter 111, Sewers, of the Code of the Township of Springfield.
B.
Where sewage is not discharged to a public sewer,
the method of disposal must be approved by the Department and be in
compliance with the requirements of the Code of the Township of Springfield.
C.
The discharge of filtered backwash and other pool
wastewater to the waters of the commonwealth must be approved by the
Department.
The person owning, leasing, operating or maintaining
a public bathing place shall maintain a posting board within the premises
at a location approved by the Health Officer, which will have posted
thereon current copies of the following documents which shall be available
for public review and information:
A.
A copy of Department (state) and township regulations.
B.
A certificate for public bathing place issued from
the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources to the current
owner or lessee.
C.
An electrical inspection certificate, current within
three years.
D.
A public bathing place permit issued by Springfield
Township for the current year.
E.
Lifeguard certificates, currently valid.
F.
A telephone number where the operator may be reached.
If it is found that the provisions of this ordinance
are not being complied with, the Health Officer, Code Enforcement
Officer or police officer, when observing such infraction or when
any condition exists which, in the opinion of said officer, endangers
the health or safety of the users or any public bathing place, may
suspend the operator's permit. After a public hearing, the Board of
Health may revoke the operator's permit if, in its opinion, conditions
warrant such procedure.
A.
Failure to secure a permit when required or operating
after suspension or revocation of a permit by either the Department
or the Board of Health shall constitute a violation of this ordinance.
When written notice of a violation of any provision of this ordinance
has been served upon any person, such violation shall be discontinued
immediately.
