Some Alameda County Pools Shut Over Safety Rules
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) _ Some Alameda County residents will have to skip a dip in their local public pool because of new rules over drain covers.
Alameda County environmental authorities say they've had to temporarily close several public pools, because the facilities aren't in compliance with federal safety regulations.
Under new rules that went into effect July 1, pool and hot tub owners are required to install drain covers so that people won't be sucked into the drain or trapped in it.
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The requirements are part of a federal law that was passed in 2008 after Virginia Graeme Baker, the granddaughter of former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker, died when the suction from a spa drain trapped her underwater.
Officials with the Alameda County Department of Environmental Health estimate that 40 percent of the public pools in the county are not in compliance with the new rules.
