Water Features
Summary
Water features include fountains, pools, and other recirculating bodies of water that need pumps, filtration, and disinfection. Sizing the pump from the pool volume and turnover time, and deciding how feature water is treated, are settled early, because local health codes set the limits.
Cols
Terminology
- Turnover rate: time for the full pool volume to pass through the filter once
- Flow rate: gallons per minute needed to meet the turnover rate
- Recirculation system: pump, filter, and disinfection loop that must run continuously
Standards
- Flow rate (gpm) = pool volume (gal) / turnover time (h) / 60 min per hour; a 40,000 gal pool at a 6 hour turnover needs about 111 gpm
- A county transition guide to the CDC Model Aquatic Health Code sets a 6 hour minimum turnover for recirculation systems that run continuously; local versions vary
- Feature water may be drawn from a pool for features such as water slides; otherwise it must be filtered and disinfected, and some jurisdictions approve unfiltered features case by case
Common issues
- Dead zones: turnover is a volume figure; uniform circulation depends on inlet and outlet layout
- Local approval: treatment, barrier, and drainage requirements are set locally; confirm with the health and building departments
Sources
- Pueblo County, CO: MAHC transition guide, https://www.pueblocounty.gov/sites/default/files/2024-02/MAHC Transition Guide.pdf
- Wikimedia Commons: Pond and fountain, Tring Memorial Garden, Tring, Hertfordshire 02.jpg, by Mertbiol (CC0), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pond_and_fountain,_Tring_Memorial_Garden,_Tring,_Hertfordshire_02.jpg