An aquatic facility is a man-made body of water used for sport, recreation or educational or therapeutic water activities, which generally include:

• swimming pools (for exercise, recreation, hydrotherapy/therapeutic benefits and effects, leisure, diving, SCUBA dive training, wading, also wave pools)
• spa pools
• river rides
• water slides and
• water playgrounds.

Legislation definitions of “aquatic facility” and “water body” are found within the Health (Aquatic Facility) Regulation 2007 (the regulations).

The Aquatic Facility Regulations only apply to aquatic facilities available for public use, not domestic swimming pools. This includes municipal aquatic/recreation centres, theme parks, schools, learn-to-swim centres, tourism venues (resorts, hotels, motels, caravan parks, bed & breakfast, chalets, recreational campsites and farm stays), health clubs, physiotherapy centres, mine sites, places of adult entertainment, retirement/lifestyle villages and body corporate premises with ≥ 30 units/apartments.

Information on domestic pools and spas is limited, although further resources will be made available in the future.

Aquatic Facilities Guidance Materials

Code of Practice

Guidelines

Aquatic Updates

Guidance Notes

Presentations 

Forms

Fact sheets

Checklists

Department of Health - Primary role/core business

Aquatic Facility Personnel Training/Qualifications

General advice

Related websites

Royal Life Saving Society Australia

Spray-grounds/spray-parks are also captured as an aquatic facility water body, if they form part of an existing or new aquatic facility. Spray-grounds/spray-parks in isolation however, are not currently captured by the regulations, however are subject to DOH, local government and industry review (see Health Requirements for Interactive Water Fountains (Water Playgrounds Spraygrounds) (PDF 359KB)).

It is likely that once discussions and review of these guidelines is complete that they will be adopted into the Code of Practice for the Design, Management, Construction, Operation, Management and Maintenance of Aquatic Facilities (the Code).

The primary applicable information available in relation to public aquatic facilities includes: the regulations and the Code of Practice for the Design, Construction, Operation, Management and Maintenance of Aquatic Facilities (PDF 815KB).

The regulations are available for purchase from State Law Publisher (External link), located at 10 William Street, Perth, or alternatively can be downloaded free of charge from their website (External link).

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Last Updated:  12 February 2009