MAHC recordkeeping: look beyond the water-test log

What the model says about records

In the 2024 MAHC, section 6.4.1.2.1 specifies at least three years of record maintenance and availability to the authority having jurisdiction. Section 6.4.1.2.2 notes that applicable laws may require additional documentation. These are model provisions; confirm the adopted rules for your facility.

Section 6.4.1.6 addresses water-monitoring and testing records. Examples include pH, disinfectant residuals, combined chlorine, operating pressures or flow readings, and cyanuric acid where used. This is not the complete list; review the section directly.

Other sections cover safety and maintenance inspections, incident reports, chemical inventory, staff certifications, and bodily-fluid remediation records. A water-test log alone does not represent the full recordkeeping scope.

Source: 2024 MAHC code, sections 6.4.1.2–6.4.1.8 (printed pages 187–190)

Build a record inventory for your facility

Start a worksheet with four columns: record type, required fields, responsible person, and storage location. Use your applicable code and approved procedures to fill it in. Separate a requirement you have confirmed from a question that still needs an answer.

Add the review and export process for each record. If a manager is away, someone else should know where the record is and how to retrieve it. Test retrieval using an older entry, not just the latest one.

Check software coverage field by field

SwimmingPoolLog currently captures free chlorine and pH, with optional alkalinity and temperature, plus staff attribution, timestamps, and corrective-action entries. It does not currently have dedicated fields for every measurement in the MAHC list, or modules for all the other record types described above.

Do not assume that configured ranges make a form complete. Compare each required field with the actual screen and exported CSV. Decide where any missing records will live before changing your team’s routine.

Make retention a deliberate process

Write down who creates exports, where they are stored, who can access them, and how long they must be kept under the rules that apply to your facility. Confirm access and export arrangements before cancelling a software subscription.

Keep this inventory with your operating documentation and revisit it when the facility, applicable rules, or software changes. It is a way to identify gaps for review, not a certificate that the facility meets the MAHC.