South Carolina Hotels Face Pool Enclosure Deadline

Myrtle Beach hoteliers who have to keep their pools running all winter long for snowbirds are having to replace their glass enclosures with safer ones.

The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported Sunday that a federal ban on certain pool enclosures will be enforced starting Nov. 1. The enclosures help keep outdoor pools warm enough to be used year-round.

Federal law prohibits communities in the National Flood Insurance Program from using hard-structure pool enclosures — often made of glass — in the floodplain. Myrtle Beach hotels have been using the enclosures for more than 30 years.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency raised safety concerns in 2007 and the city changed its ordinances and has begun inspections to make sure the vinyl or Plexiglas structures are in place by the deadline.