EDITORIAL: Above all else, keep pools safe
Riverhead has used the satellite image service Google Earth in the last nine months to snag about 250 homeowners who have swimming pools but no required permits. Credit: iStockphoto
For the better part of a year, town officials in Riverhead have been using satellite images from Google Earth to catch homeowners who don't have the required permits for their swimming pools. About 240 homeowners have acquired the necessary $300 permit for their pool as a result of the town's campaign.
Google Earth provides detailed images of just about any structure on the planet and can be viewed by anyone with Internet access. Like it or not, such information is public. Its use by town officials to detect code violators shouldn't pose privacy concerns.
Pool-permitting codes exist for a reason. Every summer brings heart-wrenching stories of backyard drownings, many the result of inadequate pool safety precautions. New pools must be inspected to ensure safety standards, including proper fencing and alarms to protect against unknown use by a child or trespasser.
Riverhead says it began its campaign primarily out of safety concerns - though it's likely that the $75,000 it has earned from permit fees was also a motivator. In addition, having a pool also causes property taxes to rise; by not registering pools, homeowners duck payments for the added amenity. It'd be surprising if more towns didn't cash in by using satellite imaging.
Someday, these eyes in the sky may well pose privacy issues, but that concern doesn't hold much water now when it comes to ensuring pool safety. hN
