With the passage of Minnesota’s Abigail Taylor Pool Safety Act, the rules for public and commercial pool owners. The law can be confusing, and upgrades will need to be made, but in most cases the safety upgrades will be affordable and painless.
These are the main changes pool owners and operators need to be aware of:
• ANSI Approved main drain cover must be installed by 7/01/2008 on every commercial pool.
-Or-
• Dual Main Drains, an unblockable drain (grate style drain measuring over 24’ diagonally), or a gravity drainage system must be installed by 1/01/2011
In addition, all pools & spas with the deepest water under 4’ deep need:
• ANSI Approved main drain cover must be installed by 7/01/2008
-Or-
• Dual Main Drains, an unblockable drain (grate style drain measuring over 24’ diagonally), or a gravity drainage system must be installed by 1/01/2011
As of this date, we are only aware of one pool drain cover with ANSI/ASME approval, the DS-360 drain cover, from New Water Solutions.
Brian Foster is a Water Safety Consultant working in the Twin Cities Metro, and an advisor on the new Abigail Taylor Pool Safety Act, and the Federal ‘Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act.’ Brian can be contacted at brian@mnpoolsafety.org, or (763) 438-4890.
