Wading Pools

Every owner of a public wading pool has an obligation to provide a safe environment for every user of the pool. Public wading pool water levels may be shallow, but there are plenty of risks in playing in and around the wading pool. Owners and operators of wading pools will want to be especially diligent with pool water quality and with the education of caregivers as supervisors of safe water play. Ultimately, the owner/operators of a wading pool are responsible for the safe operation of the wading pool. 

Public wading pool owners/operators must understand and act on many regulations, bylaws, and recommendations for safety at their facility. They need to evaluate their pool practices to determine if appropriate safeguards and routines are in place to minimize the risks of drowning and water-related injury.

What is considered a Public Wading Pool?

A Wading Pool means any structure, basin or tank, containing an artificially created pool of water that is 600 millimeters or less in depth throughout and is used for swimming, bathing, wading or other similar purposes.

A Water Spray Park means an artificially constructed depression or basin into which water is sprayed but not allowed to accumulate in the bottom.

The Drowning Problem

The patrons of public wading pools are primarily very young children and their caregivers. Toddlers and preschoolers are naturally curious about water. They are persistent and ingenious in finding a way to get to it. Tragedy can strike quickly. Ten seconds of unsupervised play or exploration can result in a drowning. That's all the time it takes! It also only takes a few inches of water for a drowning to occur.

Drowning fatalities in children under the age of 5 are more than double that of any other age group. A major contributing factor in the deaths of children is the lack of adult supervision.

Get Your Copy!

The Lifesaving Society recommends that you read the Public Wading Pool Safety Standards and use this document to evaluate your pool and determine what steps you can take to create and maintain a safe environment for your patrons.

Download your copy of the Public Wading Pool Safety Standards free of charge!