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It’s a Journey You might say that the APSP’s Recreational Water Quality Committee (RWQ) is on a mission. Over the past couple of years we’ve been working on some very important projects with one main objective in mind. That is, to promote aquatic safety by partnering with the men and women on the front lines of public health. As your partner, our committee can help by regularly providing you with quality information and educational materials. Although public health officials have any number of resources and “experts” to consult, the RWQ is truly unique. Consider that major manufacturers and suppliers of pool and spa products loan their brightest scientists and most experienced employees to serve. As a result, a tremendous amount of scientific knowledge and hands-on expertise reside within this group. I trust that you will see and appreciate the value of the RWQ as our partnership grows. Although you’ll learn more about what we’ve been doing in this newsletter, I’d like to give a quick overview to stir your interest. First, we’ve drafted a model pool/spa code and health officials from across the country will have the opportunity to provide substantial input before it’s published. Second, we’ve prepared a training module on recreational water illnesses. This module will be published in any number of formats to educate sanitarians as well as pool and spa professionals. Third, our newsletter, Recreational Water Quality, will contain a variety of articles to equip you with important, up-to-date information. A special feature will be our “Ask the Experts” column. If you have a question about water testing, pool chemistry, or microbiology we’d love to hear it. One question will be addressed by an expert in every issue of Recreational Water Quality. Finally, we’re taking steps to help us get to know one another, one city, and one state at a time. As the RWQ holds regular meetings in various cities across the country, we will invite local sanitarians to take part. In March, we were honored to have Ms. Katie Moore, of Texas’s Department of State Health Services and Mr. Neal Jerome of Schlitterbahn Waterparks as our guests. Our next meeting will take place in Atlantic City, NJ, in conjunction with the National Environmental Health Association’s (NEHA) conference. We hope to meet many of you at the NEHA annual conference and look forward to meeting even more health officials in the upcoming months. It’s no secret that the relationship between the industry and public health communities hasn’t been as good as it should be, or could have been. I’m optimistic that this will change, but our partnership will certainly be a journey and not a destination. Along the way, the RWQ will remain fiercely committed to work with health officials to promote aquatic safety. Part of working together involves dialogue and we need your input. Whether it’s a question for one of our experts, a “success story” that explains how your city or county overcame a difficult situation, or simply a suggestion for improvement. We can’t wait to hear from you. Let the journey begin! Geoffrey A. Brown Geoff Brown is a Technical Services Senior Scientist at BioLab, a Chemtura Company, and has served on the Recreational Water Quality Committee since 1999. His background is in biochemistry and microbiology and he has developed a number of products for treating water used for industrial processes as well as pools and spas.
© 2007 by The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without written permission.
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