Schools Struggle to Comply with Drain Law

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By Lesley Tanner

Story Published: Jan 9, 2009 at 7:54 PM EDT

Story Updated: Jan 9, 2009 at 7:54 PM EDT

It's been almost a month since a federal law required pools to install new safety covers on all pool drains. And many local communities are still struggling to comply.

A scuba team lined the bottom of the pool at Michael E. Smith Middle School in South Hadley Friday morning. Hours were spent underwater in an effort to comply with a federal law put in place last month.

"It's a good law but it's being implemented very abruptly," says South Hadley Superintendent Gus Sayer.

The Virginia Graeme Baker Federal Pool and Spa Safety Act requires all pools to install anti-vortex drain covers over existing drains, to prevent drowning deaths when swimmers get suctioned to the bottom of the pool. Last year, South Hadley spent 2,000 dollars installing these covers.

"We had been advised during our annual inspection that we needed to get anti-vortex covers for the pools," says Sayer.

But that was before the Virginia Graeme Baker Act went in effect, and South Hadley's nearly new covers didn't have the necessary stamp of approval.

"They may in fact meet the requirements of the new law, we're just not sure about," says Sayer.

So they spent another 5,000 dollars to buy an almost identical set. The main difference is the safety seal. And even though they didn't have that seal when the law went into effect on December 19, they weren't willing to send swimmers away.

"We have classes in here, the swim team season has begun, we have outside competitive groups who use the pool," says Sayer.

"It just didn't seem to make sense to deny all these people access to the pool when there really isn't a safety issue in our pool."

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