7.  SWIMMING POOL

7.1  Objective

This section addresses specifically the design criteria for swimming pools from the consideration of public health. The pool shall be so designed that the water quality will always remain safe for the public during its operation. Whilst landscaping to enhance the appearance of the pool is encouraged, it shall not be done in such a way or to such an extent that it can contaminate the water in the pool or create a problem for the maintenance of the pool.
A good pool design shall also take into consideration the physical safety of swimmers, the expected user load and the regulatory requirements outlined in the Environmental Public Health (Swimming Pools) Regulations, including the requirements for licensing of swimming pools.

7.2  Design Criteria

The design criteria for swimming pool shall be as follows:

(a)  A water-circulation system consisting of pumps, piping, perimeter overflow system, return inlets, filters and other necessary equipment shall be provided for complete circulation of the water through all parts of the pool. The water-circulation pumps and motors shall be of adequate sizes to turn over the entire pool water capacity at least once every 6 hours for the main pool and not more than 2 hours for standalone wading pool.
(b)  Overflow weirs shall be provided for at least 50% of the perimeter of the pool. It is advised that ease of maintenance be considered in the design of the overflow weir. A deck level channel design can be adopted for the overflow weir drainage system. Drawings of an example of deck level channel can be found in Appendix 5.
(c) There shall be at least one standby pump unit and motor to supplement the duty pump provided in the filtration system.
(d)  Flow meters shall be installed on all re-circulation systems and shall be capable of measuring water flows of 1.5 times the designed flow rate.
(e)  The filtration plant shall be the rapid sand, diatomaceous earth or any other acceptable filtration system.
(f)  Sampling taps shall be provided at the inlet and outlet pipes of the filter.
(g)  Filter backwash water shall be discharged into the sewer via a backwash water holding tank.
(h)  The swimming pool shall be equipped with automatic disinfectant and chemical feeders to maintain the bacteriological and chemical characteristics of the water within the water quality limits stipulated in Appendix 6.
(i)  Materials used for landscaping of pool edge shall be of smooth surface to facilitate easy cleaning.The design of planting strip(s) close to the pool edge shall incorporate measures to ensure no overflow of water from the planting strip(s)/ area(s) into the pool water.
(j)  Linkways and bridges across the pool are allowed. Care must be taken in the design to ensure no overflow of runoff from planting strips on the linkways and bridges into the pool water.
(k)  If a submerged bar is provided in the pool, a sink connected to a sewer shall be provided.
(l)  At least two showers shall be provided around the swimming pool.
(m)  Design of indoor swimming pools shall address the issue of adequate ventilation.
(n)  The Qualified Person may refer to Appendix 7 for suggested guidelines on safety features in pool design and landscaping.