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With the end of the school year less than a month away and poolside summer fun beckoning; the staff at A Pro Pool and Spa in Lindstrom has been getting calls about pool drain safety.

News media coverage in 2007 and early 2008 about Abigail Taylor's injuries made the public aware of the potential for extremely tragic consequences of pool drain suction. Abigail Taylor was hurt last summer at the Minneapolis Golf Club and she died in March 2008 of complications following a rare multi-organ transplant.

Federal legislation enacted in the wake of her injuries currently impacts commercial or public pool sites. Minnesota Legislative action April 28 also passed a commercial pool law on a vote of 64-0. Local legislator Senator Rick Olseen said there was nobody who opposed this measure and it went through easily on the floor. The state measure does require private pools to meet anti-entrapment regulations as far as safety devices by December 19, 2009.

Doug Cowen, A Pro pool specialist, has been working with area commercial pool owners on updating and inspecting their sites. Cowen said many area homeowners are already making drain system improvements to their private pools.

Key steps

There's two things a pool owner should be taking a look at to ensure suction injuries don't happen in their pool.

A Pro Pool and Spa can install what's called a SVRS in a private pool for about $1,500. The safety vacuum release system is located close to the pump on the main drain line. It offer automatic suction force release. When a drain becomes blocked this system will respond and cut the suction. (See graphic.)

The force exerted on a swimmer's body by a suction outlet in a pool or hot tub/spa can be so strong the person can not free themselves. According to SVRS literature the force can have the effect of making a human body feel like it weighs 500 pounds, so even several people coming to the aid of a swimmer held by suction may not be able to free the victim.

Cowen also advises that pool and hot tub drain covers need to be checked.

The best cover is a "hair snare" unit which is wider than older drain cover models and disperses the suction over a greater area, reducing concentrated force that does bodily injury.

There's lots of information available at the website drainsafe.com. Or contact your local pool professional for advice on drain safety for your pool or hot tub.

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