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Ohio Laws and Rules
(A) Disinfection.
(1) Gas chlorine shall not be used for disinfection in any public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool.
(2) The licensee of a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool shall ensure that the pool or spa is continuously disinfected using a chemical feeding device connected directly to the recirculation system of the pool, or spa, which imparts an easily measured residual of chlorine or bromine. No licensee shall continuously disinfect a pool or spa by means of hand dosing of disinfectant.
(3) The licensee of a public spa shall provide an automatic chemical controller to continually monitor and adjust the level of free chlorine or bromine and the pH level of the water in the spa. As used in this rule, “automatic chemical controller” means equipment that continuously and automatically monitors the biocidal activity [(disinfectant residual or oxidation-reduction potential (ORP)] of the chlorine or bromine in the spa through the use of an ORP sensor to regulate the dosing rate of added disinfectant between the desired set point and the actual measured value. The automatic chemical controller shall also:
(a) Continuously monitor the pH of the water and regulate the dosing rate of adjusting chemicals;
(b) Display the pH and disinfectant residual levels and activate either an audible or visual warning signal in the event of a system malfunction, or in the event that disinfectant residuals or pH levels are not within acceptable limits as set forth in this rule; and
(c) Either be interlocked with the spa recirculation pump, or have an acceptable flow switch to prevent the pumping of chemicals when there is no recirculation flow.
The director shall maintain a list of controllers that meet the requirements of this paragraph.
(4) Disinfectant residuals.
(a) The licensee shall ensure that
The following requirements are maintained.
Minimum residual
PPM
Public swimming pools and
Special use pools
Chlorine 1.0
Bromine 2.0
Public Spas
Chlorine 2.0
Bromine 2.0
The minimum acceptable ORP reading is 650 millivolts
(5) When automatic chemical controllers are used in conjunction with chlorine or bromine at a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool, the licensee shall check the disinfectant level manually at least once every twenty-four hours during the parts of the year that the pool or spa is in operation. The manual check shall be performed with a diethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPD) test kit and the results shall be used to standardize the automatic chemical recorders.
(6) The director or the licensor, depending upon whether plan approval or licensure is at issue, may allow the use of other disinfecting devices or chemicals as secondary disinfection systems for a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool as long as the required residual of chlorine or bromine can be measured and maintained. The secondary disinfection system shall not lower the disinfecting strength of the primary disinfectant or otherwise affect the water quality adversely.
(7) The licensee shall provide a DPD test kit for measuring the concentration of chlorine or bromine and a test kit for measuring pH level at each public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool.
(B) Water quality.
(1) The licensee shall ensure that the water supply for a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool meets one of the following requirements:
(a) The water comes from a public water system as defined in rule 3745-81-01 of the Administrative Code; or
(b) The water is pretreated to meet the standards cited in paragraph (B) of rule 3701-31-04 of the Administrative Code as determined by the director.
(2) The licensee of a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool shall maintain the water of the pool or spa in an alkaline condition as indicated by a pH of not less than 7.2 and not over 7.8.
(3) The licensee shall maintain the total alkalinity of a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool at sixty parts per million or above. The licensee shall not maintain the total alkalinity at such a high level that it impairs the ability of the pool or spa to meet the other required chemical and water clarity parameters prescribed by this rule.
(4) The licensee shall ensure that the cyanuric acid level in a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool does not exceed one hundred parts per million. The licensee shall provide a test kit for measuring cyanuric acid levels at each pool or spa using chlorinated cyanurates or in which cyanuric acid is employed for stabilizing.
(5) The licensee shall ensure that the total dissolved solids (TDS) level in a public swimming pool or special use pool does not exceed three thousand parts per million. The licensee shall not maintain TDS at any level that impairs the ability of the pool to meet the water clarity requirement of paragraph (C) of this rule or other water quality parameters prescribed by this rule.
(C) The licensee shall ensure that the water in any public swimming pool or a special use pool has sufficient clarity when in use that a black disc, six inches in diameter, is readily visible when placed on a light field at the deepest point of the pool and is viewed from the pool side.
(D) The licensee shall ensure that the water in a public swimming pool, public spa, or special use pool meets the bacteriological standard set forth in this paragraph. A pool or spa shall be considered to be in violation of the standard if more than fifteen per cent of at least four samples taken in a period of not more than thirty days exceed the standard. Neither the licensor nor the licensee is required to take water samples for bacteriological analysis. The licensor may take samples either on a routine basis or when the licensor has reason to believe that the water in a pool or spa does not meet the bacteriological standard.
The bacteriological standard is.
No positive test (confirmed test) for coliform organisms when the membrane filter (MF/TC) test is used.
R.C. 119.032 review dates: 07/02/2008 and 07/01/2013
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 3749.02
Rule Amplifies: 3749.03, 3749.04, 3749.05
Prior Effective Dates: 1/1/1977, 1/1/91, 1/1/92, 2/25/94, 1/1/99, 1/1/04