Before Geneva's Sunset Pool opened for the summer season, new anti-entrapment grates were fitted over drains with submerged suction outlets, officials said.
Ditto for the St. Charles Park District's pools, the three pools at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, as well as the homeowners association pool at Prestbury subdivision in Sugar Grove and at Delnor Health and Wellness Center in Geneva.
They are among all the public pools and spas in the state that must comply with a new federal law to prevent accidental death by suction entrapment.
"It's a good thing," said Connie Schultz, property manager for the Prestbury homeowners association in Sugar Grove. "Yes, it is costly and it was a surprise – but you have kids all the time in pools. If it's going to stop someone from being hurt, it's worth it."
A national issue
The 2007 Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act was named for the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III. She drowned in 2002 at age 7 when a spa drain's suction entrapped her underwater. The act went into effect in December. Illinois enacted emergency rules May 18 so it could be enforced, said Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
"We could not enforce it because it was federal, therefore the State of Illinois changed our code so we could enforce similar standards," Arnold said. "It is not something that can happen overnight – some pools require a whole new plumbing system or pump. As long as the pool can demonstrate it is in the process of complying with these standards, we will not deny the license."
About 1,500 children drown each year in the U.S. according to the National Institutes of Health. More than one in four drownings involve children age 14 and younger, according to Safe Kids Worldwide a coalition acting to prevent accidental childhood injury.
One pool that is in the process of compliance is the one at X Sport, a fitness center in St. Charles, said Dan LaPoint, the facility's chief engineer.
"We have already had an inspector look over blueprints and piping," LaPoint said. "We have the work in progress, not just here, but nationwide. We have 30 facilities and they are all going to comply."
The new law did not require any changes at Surrey Hill Apartments in St. Charles, as the pool's filtration system is passive and has no suction drains, manager Joyce Accman said.
Preventing future tragedies
Kathleen Reilly, spokeswoman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said the new law is the result of a tragedy.
"This should not happen to anybody's kid or anybody," Reilly said. "Kids have fun at the pool, but they get into trouble. Pools have to turn over their water six times a day and you have to have pumps and water flowing. The new covers they've been working on prevent suction and have a safety vacuum release, so if there is a suction incident, it turns off."
Most who drown or become severely injured and die in these types of incidents are young children, she said.
In Minnesota, 6-year-old Abigail Taylor died after she was disemboweled by a suction drain in a wading pool, Reilly said. Last year, Minnesota passed the Abigail Taylor Pool Safety Act to prevent similar injuries and deaths.
When states include the anti-entrapment rules in their own laws, they will be eligible to apply for grants to pay for enforcement and education. Illinois, Minnesota, Texas, Maryland and Connecticut have approved the new rules for local enforcement, Reilly said.
With more than 600,000 public pools and spas in the U.S., the Consumer Product Safety Commission has only 100 field agents to check on pools.
"It's a big number and a multi-year task," she said.
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