Most pools and spas in Dallas do not undergo an inspection that could protect the public from at least some waterborne diseases.

COURTNEY PERRY/DMN

Jamoyah Thomas, 6, stands over a water spout so the stream of water shoots out of the neck of his shirt at the Sprayground on Umphress Road in Pleasant Grove Saturday July 26, 2008. Thomas's 2-year-old cousin was having a birthday party at the Sprayground.

View larger Photography Photo store

City inspectors have filed more than 190 inspection reports since January. That means about 15 percent of Dallas' 1,300 commercially or city-operated pools and spas eligible for inspection were examined for safety and water quality.

Those inspectors are not even required to inspect stand-alone spray parks, which are growing in popularity and could pose a significant risk.

City and state regulations do not address the operation or sanitation of the water playgrounds.

Health experts say that inspections are key to public safety.

"Running a pool is not just like showing up for work," said Michael Beach, the associate director for healthy water at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "You're managing a chemical reactor that people get into."

Concern about pool safety spiked this summer after North Texas endured an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis, a disease caused by a fierce, diarrhea-causing parasite that infects humans who swallow even small amounts of water contaminated by animal or human feces.

The parasite is chlorine-resistant and can be found in even the best-maintained pools.

But other waterborne illnesses, such as E. coli, norovirus, Giardia and Shigella germs, are less likely to survive in a properly maintained and inspected pool.

Of the Dallas pools and spas that were inspected this year, about four of five failed because of issues ranging from water quality to safety, such as incorrect drains. Of those that failed, about one in four failed tests for chlorine, which is added to water to kill germs.

Inspectors say they re-examine the pools after problems are fixed. Reinspection reports are almost never filed, so the public cannot easily track the status of pools with past problems.

None of this includes the thousands of backyard pools in Dallas County that are never inspected and may be the source of a waterborne disease.

A lack of manpower is to blame for the inability to inspect more pools, said Sheldon Klain, a Dallas Department of Code Compliance manager.

Across the country, state and local governments are dealing with the same problem. Some pool inspection programs have been reduced or cut altogether because of budget restrictions in recent years, said Michele Hlavsa, an epidemiologist who specializes in recreational water illnesses at the CDC.

"You wouldn't cancel your food inspection programs, so why your pool inspections?" Ms. Hlavsa said.

In Dallas, officials are beginning to increase the number of inspectors from three to more than 30 by training apartment complex inspectors who will examine pools in addition to their regular duties.

Regulations for spray parks also need to be more closely examined, said Zachary Thompson, the director of Dallas County Health and Human Services. He is pushing for the Texas Legislature to address the issue in its next session.

Dallas Park and Recreation has seven spray parks, the first of which were built about five years ago. Two of them – Mildred Dunn and Campbell Green – were temporarily shut down after a crypto outbreak a few weeks ago.

About a quarter of the confirmed crypto incidents this summer are linked to spray parks, according to the county health department.

Dallas Park and Recreation officials say they maintain the spray parks the same way as the city's swimming pools. But Jerry Foote, manager for facility services, said that separate, specialized guidelines should be created and that his staff is working to create a daily inspection checklist specifically for spray parks that will be available next season.

Park and Recreation employees hyper-chlorinate and add fresh water to the spray parks twice a week and check chemical levels twice daily. But those measures are not required.

"We're going to take that extra step to make sure the facility is safe," Mr. Foote said. "It's not something that the health department or code enforcement tells us to do. It's something that we as a department decided to do."

Health codes regulating pools and spas vary from one community to the next. The CDC is developing a model aquatic health code based on up-to-date and scientific information that local governments can adopt. The agency plans to release it in installments over the next year or so.

Guidelines on how to respond to fecal, vomit and blood contamination will become available in the next several weeks. Mr. Beach emphasized that more than ever, the responsibility falls on individuals to maintain personal hygiene and push pool operators to keep their water clean, so that diseases are not spread..

"We want swimmers to take on an activist role," Mr. Beach said. "We want patrons to inspect every day."