Texas Administrative Code › Title 25 - HEALTH SERVICES › Part 1 - DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES › Chapter 265 - GENERAL SANITATION › Subchapter L - PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS AND SPAS › Section 265.193 - Water Quality at Pools and Spas

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) Environmental
				  Protection Agency (EPA) registration. A sanitizer, disinfectant, or other
				  chemical used to disinfect or sanitize the pool or spa water must be
				  EPA-registered for use in pools and spas under the Federal Insecticide,
				  Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
(b)
				  Algae. Pools and spas must be treated to eliminate algae in order to prevent
				  creation of a slip hazard, to prevent the water from becoming cloudy reducing
				  visibility in the pool or spa, and to prevent uncontrolled growth of algae that
				  could harbor pathogens.
(c)
				  Required chemical levels. Water quality for a pool or spa must meet the
				  following criteria when the pool or spa is open for use. The water quality
				  parameters in Figure: 25 TAC §
										265.193(c) apply
				  to both pools and spas unless otherwise indicated.
Attached
					 Graphic
(d)
				  Cyanuric acid. Cyanuric acid and stabilized chlorine such as dichlor, must not
				  be used in any indoor pool or spa or in therapy pools.
(e) Water clarity. Water clarity must be
				  sufficient such that an 8-inch black disk or Secchi disk on the floor at the
				  deepest part of the pool can be clearly and immediately seen by an observer on
				  the water surface above the disk or by someone standing on the deck closest to
				  the disk.
(f) Reliable means of
				  water testing required. A reliable means of testing for pH, free and total
				  (combined) chlorine, bromine, cyanuric acid, alkalinity, and calcium hardness
				  to minimum and maximum levels and levels in between, must be provided and
				  available for the pool operator at the pool or spa when the pool or spa is open
				  for use.
(g) DPD chemical test.
				  Free available chlorine levels and bromine levels must be determined using the
				  DPD testing method.
(h) ORP reading
				  frequency. ORP readings must be recorded at the same time required sanitizer
				  and pH tests are performed where in-line ORP meters are used. The date and the
				  mV level must be recorded in the required pool or spa logs required in this
				  section.
(i) Storage of test kits
				  and reagents. Test kits and reagents must be stored according to the
				  manufacturer's instructions and protected from extreme heat and cold and from
				  exposure to water, chemicals, petroleum products, or any other element or
				  environment that could adversely affect the efficacy of water quality test
				  results.
(j) Accuracy of test
				  reagents. Testing reagents must be changed at frequencies recommended by the
				  manufacturer to ensure accuracy of the tests.
(k) Chemical balance. Water in the pool or
				  spa must be chemically balanced. Testing methods to determine the chemical
				  balance of the water in the pool or spa, such as the Langelier Saturation
				  Index, must be conducted at least once every 10 days while the pool or spa is
				  open. The date of the test and the results of the testing and any adjustments
				  made to the pool or spa to correct water quality must be recorded in the
				  required pool or spa logs required in this section. Logs must be made available
				  upon request. If logs are not kept on-site, logs must be provided to DSHS or
				  local regulatory authority within five business days of the request.
(l) Water monitoring records of public pools
				  and spas. A record of all pool and spa water chemical testing must be recorded
				  in a pool or spa log, either electronically or manually in a logbook, and must
				  be made available upon request. If logs are not kept on-site, logs must be
				  provided to DSHS or local regulatory authority within five business days of the
				  request. Records shall be maintained for a minimum of three years and must
				  include:
(1) if multiple pools or spas
				  on-site, identification of the pool or spa tested;
(2) date and time of testing;
(3) chemical levels as required in Figure: 25
				  TAC §
											265.193(c) in
				  accordance with the testing schedule requirements in subsection (o) of this
				  section;
(4) mV of ORP meter where
				  applicable; and
(5) any action
				  taken to correct chemical readings including addition of sanitizer, algaecide,
				  or chemical to correct pH and tests to ensure chemical levels return to
				  required levels, closure of the pool or spa, formed stool or diarrhea in a pool
				  or spa and remedial actions taken as a result, or any other significant action
				  taken which impacts pool and spa water quality.