THE VIRGINIA GRAEME BAKER POOL & SPA SFETY ACT OF 2007

This new federal law was enacted to help prevent suction entrapment injuries and becomes effective December 19, 2008. The requierements for public swimming pools, spas, and wading pools are summarized below and must be met before these facilities can be operated after that date.

Drain Cover Requirements-New drain covers certified to ASME/ANSI A112.19.8-2007 must be installed.

Backup System Requirements- Suction piping for each pump must be inspected and will be comsidered in compliance with the federal law if:1) no submerged drains connect to the pump, or 2) there are two drains at least 3 feet apart,or 3) there is a single "unblockable" drain. An unblockable drain includes a sump under the cover that is larger than 18 inckes, or a channel type drain with a diagonal open area of at least 29 inches.

Single- and two-drain systems less than 3 feet apart that fail  to meet one of the above requirements must be updated by adding, 1) Safety Vacuum Release System (SVRS), 2) Suction-Limiting Vent System, 3) Gravity Drainage System, 4) Automatic Pump Shut-Off System, 5) Drain Disablemnt, or 6) Other Systems determined by Consumer Product Safety Commission to be equally effective. Another option is to split the single drain into a dual-drain system with at least 3 feet of separation.