Saltwater pool rules revised
By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser Staff Writer
A draft of new rules for saltwater swimming pools has been sent to Gov. Ben Cayetano, and if approved the city may have to change its restoration plans for the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium.
The state's Department of Health delivered the report to the governor Wednesday, and the agency should receive a response by next month, said Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo.
"It's still very premature," Okubo said. "But, it is our recommendation to the governor, and we feel it's the best we have done."
If the governor gives his approval, the revised rules would require the city to install a mechanical pump system that would circulate ocean water every six hours into the pool and wash out any bacteria found in pools, like bacterium staphylococcus.
The city's initial proposal was to enlarge underwater holes in the saltwater oceanside pool to let the ocean currents flush out the water, but the Health Department's report said testimony from public hearings established that the plan was insufficient to keep the water clean.
"A requirement of a pump would definitely solve the health problems, and therefore we strongly support this new solution," said attorney Jim Bickerton, who represents the Kaimana Beach Coalition, a group of people who use the beach nearest to the veterans memorial.
"We certainly expect the city and county to make the changes needed to the Natatorium," he said.
According to the report, the water in a public saltwater pool should also be clear enough that a six-inch disc would be visible when placed in the deepest part of the pool, and the pool would immediately be closed if it failed to meet this requirement.
City spokeswoman Carol Costa said no comment will be made until she sees a copy of the drafted rules. "Even if we had seen them, we would need time to analyze them," Costa said.
Department of Health director Bruce Anderson also declined to comment until the governor responds to the drafted rules.
Lack of rules for saltwater swimming pools has been the major obstacle to Mayor Jeremy Harris' plan to complete the $11.5 million restoration of the memorial.
In June 1999, Judge Gail Nakatani ruled that the Natatorium is a public swimming pool subject to Health Department regulation. The city completed a restoration of the Natatorium's facade, bleachers and public restrooms in 2001.
The monument was built in 1927 to honor 101 Hawai'i residents who died in World War I, and was closed in 1979 because it became unsafe.
Reach Shayna Coleon at scoleon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8004.
