Arapahoe County health board directs work on possible pool rules

The Arapahoe County Board of Health adopted Colorado’s swimming-pool and mineral-bath regulations as the county’s baseline and directed staff to develop proposed local rules with stakeholder input. The Oct. 21 vote starts that work but does not change current requirements for aquatic facilities. The motion passed with four votes in favor and one abstention, according to the meeting record.

The county program oversees about 126 public and semi-public aquatic facilities, including pools, spas, therapy pools and splash pads. Staff said private pools limited to residents are outside the program and that staff was not aware of any mineral baths in the county.

The adopted resolution directs staff to develop and present local regulations drawing on the latest Model Aquatic Health Code as necessary and applicable. It identifies water disinfection and quality, operations and safety, permits for public pools and spas, and enforcement as subjects for the proposed rules. Staff member Steven Chevalier described one or more stakeholder sessions, a review of approaches used by other Colorado counties, and consideration of which provisions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Model Aquatic Health Code could fit the county. The federal code itself was not adopted.

Staff also said the work would consider how to administer any proposed rules, including staffing and software needs. Possible licensing, fees and changes to enforcement procedures are matters to evaluate, not decisions made at this meeting. The resolution authorizes staff to develop proposals; it does not set a fee amount or establish new standards. Any later standards or administrative changes would require further board action.

Staff cited gaps in aging state regulations, conflicts over how state rules are interpreted, and a past Legionella outbreak at a hotel pool as reasons to consider local rules. The staff presentation said updated standards could help align the county’s program with current practices and strengthen public-health protections.

Staff said the county already applies Colorado’s standards, and that adopting them locally formalizes that baseline. The vote does not impose new technical requirements, create a new permit or licensing program, or set fees. The board has not approved any specific new standard or fee. Chevalier described the project as longer-term; there is no set schedule or date for staff to return with proposals.