Recreational Water Facilities

The Cabell-Huntington Health Department (CHHD) strives to ensure that the numerous water recreational facilities (pools, spas, water parks, etc…) existing within our territory are operated and maintained to ensure optimum public safety for their thousands of users. CHHD works with facility owners/operators to aid them in creating a safe recreational environment for their guests:

  • Review plans of all new and remodeled water recreational facilities
  • Educate water recreational facilities operators about health and safety issues
  • Conduct routine inspections
  • Investigate reports of illness and potential safety hazards

A Recreational Water Facility is defined as: A body of water that is under the control of a person that has been modified, improved, constructed or installed, for the purpose of public swimming or bathing. It includes, but is not limited to, bathing beaches; swimming, wading, and diving pools; water slides, spray pools, lazy rivers, and wave pools; spas, hot tubs, therapeutic pools, hydrotherapy pools, and whirlpools; facilities operated by communities, subdivisions, apartment complexes, condominiums, clubs, camps, schools, institutions, parks, mobile home parks, hotels, and similar recreational and public facilities.

If you are constructing a new recreational water facility, you will need to contact the State Health Department and send plans to obtain a permit to modify, improve, construct, or install a recreational water facility for public swimming or bathing.

If it is a preexisting facility in Cabell County, the Cabell-Huntington Health Department must review the plans prior to opening and conduct an inspection of the recreational water facility before issuing a permit.
For more information please contact Environmental Services at (304) 523-6483, ext. 262.

CHHD also relies on the public and the owner/operators to educate themselves about proper water safety and apply their knowledge at their establishment. The following links provide a wealth of information on water recreational facility safety:

Information on how a pool works

Healthy swimming

Pool Safety Information and Resources for CPO’s.

ER-32: Recreational Water Facility Weekly Operational Report

Water Quality Guidelines, Closure requirements and Cleanup Procedures

SR-153 Recreation Water Facilities Tables

Test Kit Requirements:

Equipment used for testing free or total chlorine shall use the DPD (N, N-Diethyl-P-Phenylenediamine) method. Test strips or Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) may be used as a measuring parameter, but shall not be used when registering required readings on daily operational reports required by the Director.

For more information on first aid kits and first aid kit requirements please click here