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Council moves on requiring fences for pools

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By Bettendorf News | Wednesday, October 4, 2006 11:41 PM CDT | () comments

The LeClaire City Council passed a first reading of the new swimming pool and fencing amendment and the storm water management ordinance at last Monday‘s council meeting.

The swimming pool amendment refers to all private, manmade pools in the city whether these are in- ground, above-ground or on-ground swimming pools, along with hot tubs, spas and temporary, inflatable pools.

People who own a pool with a water depth of 24 inches or more are required to have a fence, wall or structure that completely surrounds the pool. This structure must be at least 4 feet tall and be constructed in a way that a small child could not wiggle underneath or over the top. These structures are required to have self-latching devices capable of keeping the gate or door closed securely.

The exceptions are inflatable pools that are taken down immediately after use and hot tubs and spas topped with a cover capable of supporting no less than 50 pounds..

The storm water ordinance determines the responsible parties in case an illicit discharge (anything other than storm water) gets into the city’s storm sewer system. The only exceptions to this are discharges made with a special permit and from fire-fighting activities. Residents are responsible for reporting any illicit discharges they know or suspect happens on their property. If the discharge contains hazardous materials, the responsible person must contact emergency response agencies immediately.

The new ordinance does not include a user fee, City Administrator Edwin Choate said.