12/11/08 Redmond
 
by Ariel Wesler
 
Pool safety probably isn't the first thing on your mind in mid December, but for the folks at swim centers in Central Oregon, major changes are on the way. The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act will take effect next Friday.
 
“It's probably the largest change I've seen in 13 years I've been here, where you know there's a major industry wide technical change that we have to make,” said Cascade Swim Maintenance Manager Bruce Michael.
 
The federal law requires all public pools and spas to be equipped with anti-entrapment drains or grate covers to protect swimmers, especially children, from powerful suction.
 
If i put my hand over the drain, I can feel the suction. Under the new law, that's not allowed. Cascade swim plans to put an anti-entrapment cover over it, but that's only a quick fix. To be in full compliance, they'll have to replace the entire spa and that can cost at least 10,000 dollars.
 
The law also affects hotel pools, but industry experts say the guidelines are unclear and open to various interpretations. Cascade Swim in Redmond and Juniper Swim and Fitness in Bend have to put approved covers over their pool drains.
 
“The main challenge is finding compliant drain covers that fit the drain sizes that we have,” said Juniper Swim and Fitness Manager Matt Mercer.
 
He says those exact covers aren't available yet because manufacturers haven't caught up with the speed of the law. Neither juniper nor cascade are planning to close next week.
 
“We're still making certified efforts that go with our existing drain systems. There's certainly no hazard that it creates, Mercer said.
 
“There has to be some leaway. Otherwise, 400,000 pools would shut on that date, and that's not going to happen, said Assistant Pool Director Bill Pair of Cascade Swim.
 
The new law is named for Virginia Graeme Baker, the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker III. The 7-year old died in a spa in 2002 after she was entrapped underwater. Statistics from Safe Kids USA, a safety advocacy group, says from 1985 to 2004, at least 33 children ages 14 and under died from pool and spy entrapment and at least another 100 were seriously injured nationwide.