North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 15A - Environmental Quality › Chapter 18 - ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH › Subchapter A - SANITATION › Section .2500 - PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS › Section 18A .2543 - WATER RECREATION ATTRACTIONS

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) Upon
				  written request and approval by the Department, water recreation attractions
				  including water slides, wave pools, rapid rides, lazy rivers, artificial
				  swimming lagoons, and other similar features may deviate from the requirements
				  of this Section with respect to pool profile, depth, freeboard, flow dynamics
				  and surface skimming systems. The Department shall approve the request upon a
				  showing that such deviation performs in a manner equally to or more protective
				  of public health than the requirements of this Section based upon design plans
				  and technical specifications by the designing engineer or equipment
				  manufacturer. Water recreation attractions shall meet all other requirements of
				  this Section.
(b) Water slide
				  landing pools with a capacity of less than 60,000 gallons shall have a
				  circulation and filtration system capable of turning over the entire pool
				  capacity every two hours. Where automatic chemical controllers are used the
				  turnover time shall be no more than three hours. Landing pool dimensions shall
				  be consistent with the slide manufacturer's recommendation.
(c) When waterfalls are incorporated in water
				  recreation attractions, they shall be constructed with no handholds or
				  footholds to a height of four feet to discourage climbing.
(d) Interactive play attractions shall be
				  constructed and operated in accordance with the rules of this Section and shall
				  comply with the following:
(1) The
				  recirculation system shall contain a water capacity equal to at least three
				  minutes of maximum flow of all feature pumps and filter circulation pumps
				  combined and shall not be less than 1,000 gallons. Where the water capacity
				  exceeds 10,000 gallons, the minimum capacity shall be based on the lesser of
				  three minutes of maximum feature flow or 7.5 gallons per square foot of splash
				  zone watershed drained to the surge container.
(2) Access shall be provided to the surge
				  water container.
(3) A filter
				  circulation system shall be provided and shall be separate from the feature
				  pump system except that both systems can draw water from a common drain pipe if
				  the drain and pipe are sized to handle the flow of all pumps without exceeding
				  the flow velocities specified in Rule .2518 of this Section.
(4) The filter circulation system shall draw
				  water from the surge container through a variable height surface skimmer and a
				  bottom drain located no more than 6 inches from the bottom of the
				  container.
(5) The filter
				  circulation system shall filter and return the entire water capacity in no more
				  than 30 minutes and shall operate 24 hours a day.
(6) Automatic chemical controllers shall be
				  provided to monitor and adjust the disinfectant residual and pH of the water
				  contained in the system.
(7) The
				  disinfectant residual in interactive play attractions shall be maintained at a
				  level of at least two parts per million of free chlorine. Chlorine feeders
				  shall be capable of producing 12 parts per million of free chlorine in the
				  filter circulation piping.
(8)
				  Valves shall be provided to control water flow to the features in accordance
				  with the manufacturers' specifications.
(9) Splash zones shall be sloped to drains
				  sized and located to remove all feature water to the surge tank without water
				  accumulating on the surface.
(10)
				  Deck or walkway space is not required outside the splash zone.
(11) Dressing and sanitary facilities shall
				  not be required.
(12) Interactive
				  play features shall not be required to have a fence except the wading pool
				  fence requirements shall apply to interactive play features located inside a
				  swimming pool enclosure.
(13) The
				  safety provisions of Rule .2530 of this Section shall not apply except a sign
				  shall be posted prohibiting pets and glass containers.
(14) Interactive play attractions built prior
				  to April 1, 2004, that do not comply with these design and construction
				  requirements shall be permitted to operate as built if no water quality or
				  safety violations occur under Rules .2535 and .2537 of this Section.