Havasu Pool Barriers:
Block walls, fences, glass barrier

by Bobbi Holmes

         As much as I enjoy our pool, I recognize the fact that it can be a lethal home addition. Even a shallow play pool can be the potential site of a drowning.  And it isn’t just children that we have to be concerned about.  The swimming pool can be a dangerous area for your pet, even the pet that routinely scampers around the pool with the family.  I personally know of two families whose pets drowned, and in both instances the animals were familiar with the swimming pools.
       There are local regulations regarding swimming pool barriers.  The fencing or wall must be 5 feet high, from the exterior.  Therefore if you have a 6 foot wall around your yard, and your neighbor’s lot is terraced or slopped higher than your yard, making the height of the wall 4 feet from the neighbor’s side, you will need a higher wall.
 

      There are various barrier choices, from chain link to block wall.  If you go for the less expensive chain link, you will either need to have the slats installed, or ask for a smaller, pool mesh (which is more difficult for a child to climb than the standard non-slatted chain link).
        Self closing doors and gates will also be required.  And if you are buying a home with a swimming pool, it is the buyer’s responsibility, not the seller’s, to assure the barriers are up to code.