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This story has been corrected.

There was no diving in the pool at Smith High School Tuesday, or swimming, and it’s not the only one. Indoor pool owners across the nation are scrambling to meet a new federal regulation requiring safer filtration systems.

The regulation, adopted in 2007, set a deadline of Dec. 19, 2008, for compliance. Though both outdoor and indoor public pools are affected, many indoor pools in use this winter are shutting down to make the needed repairs.

Those indoor pools include the ones at Smith and Grimsley high schools and the Gateway Education Center. Grimsley’s pool was outfitted with the new suction control device Monday and contractors were at Smith on Tuesday to make the same repair. Smith Athletics Director Jerry Meusel said he expects the pool to reopen by today.

Meusel said the pool closure and upgrade caused minimal disruption, with the school’s swim team having to cancel a few practices.

The pool at Gateway Education Center is used for therapeutic exercise for the school’s disabled students. Gateway principal Linda Nixon Lyon said she will be glad to have the pool reopen, but her teachers and students have found other ways to work out.

“It’s a great tool to have but (not having) it does not stop life,” Lyon said.

Guilford County Schools Maintenance Director Gerald Greeson said the upgrades to the Smith High and Gateway pools cost about $800 total. The upgrade at Grimsley cost about $200. Greensboro parks and recreation is responsible for that pool and paid the cost.

“When you find out there’s an inherent danger in that pool, I want it fixed now,” Greeson said.

City officials said the filtration system at the Smith Senior Center also has been updated.

The regulation, known as the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, is named for the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker. The 7-year-old drowned in a family spa after being trapped by a drain.

Though the regulation has been enacted, enforcement at the state level remains in question, said Tobin Shepherd. Shepherd is the director of environmental health with the Guilford County Health Department, which regulates public pools. He said the state has yet to adopt the new regulations and his office has been advised by Raleigh to act only in an advisory role to local groups on the issue.

“We’re getting a lot of phone calls from pool operators, pool managers,” he said. “We’re telling them to retain all documentation they have.”

Despite the ambiguity, plenty of pools are being closed to get the work done. That rush during a normally quiet off-season for pool companies is straining some manufacturers of the needed components, said David Foust, manager of Pool Builder Supply in Greensboro.

“We’re just trying to get the ones in here we sell and it’s not been that easy so far,” Foust said.

The shortage has prevented five local YMCA indoor pools from upgrading, said Michael Digh, a spokesman for YMCA of Greensboro. Digh said the pools remain open. “We’re just kind of waiting,” he said.

Foust said not all upgrades are the same. The regulation leaves room for several different upgrades and Foust said those could depend on how the pool and its filtration system are designed. With the varied work comes a varied price tag. Foust estimated the cost could be between $200 and $10,000 or more.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com