Many public pools are fixing and inspecting their drain systems according to the new Abigail Taylor Pool Safety Act, which takes effect Tuesday. But thanks to recent renovations and good design, the pools — and their drains — at the Albert Lea Aquatic Center are in pretty good shape.

“When something that unfortunate happens, it gives you an opportunity to show that your pool is that much safer,” said Albert Lea Recreation Coordinator Jennifer Davis.

The city pools are in compliance, she said.

On June 29, 2007, 6-year-old Abigail Taylor inadvertently sat on an uncovered drain in a wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club. As a result, 21 feet of her small intestine were sucked out of her body.

Taylor died March 21 from complications with a rare transplant surgery attempting to replace organs tlost during the incident.

A year after the accident, the Abigail Taylor Pool Safety Act goes into effect Tuesday. The legislation requires all public pools to submit construction plans to the Health Department and have them approved before construction starts.

Existing pools will be under new regulations for drains and outlets. Pool operators will be required to inspect pool drains and covers daily and record the inspections. Federal laws were also inspired by the tragedy.

Owners of public pools must provide the Health Department with information about pool drains and covers before renewing or receiving licenses to operate. Information can be submitted via on online survey.

The only major change workers at the Albert Lea city pool have to make, Davis said, is to check the pool drains daily. A certified aquatic facility operator does this with a shepherd’s hook, which is just long enough to reach the drain.

The drains in both the main pool and the splash pool at the Aquatic Center, according to Davis, are gravity fed dual drains with emergency stops. Within the same pool the drains are next to each other so if one gets clogged the other is still working, she said.

Two drains reduce the suction power, lowering the danger of another child getting injured.

Davis said the drain covers in the city pools are too heavy for one person to lift, so it isn’t likely that they can be removed or shifted.

“Fortunately for us, they are in compliance,” she said. “I know there are some pools out there that have to spend a lot of money.”

The Albert Lea Aquatic Center was built in 1977 and renovated in 1998.