The public comment process for the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) is a little complicated, but it’s designed to cope with a lot of substance and a lot of comments. We offer a brief summary of the requirements of the process here, and hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to weigh in.  This emerging Code may affect your professional life in a lot of ways.

Module Comment Period and Context

Each module will be submitted to the public for comment for a period of 60 days, followed by editing and revisions. At this point (early November 2011), seven modules have been released for the first public comment, and seven remain to be released.

When all the modules have been edited for comments, a complete draft of the MAHC will be released so the public can see the parts of the code in context.  To help you understand the draft modules, which are fragments of the whole, each module includes a topic outline of the MAHC, and uses the outline topic numbering to show how the specific draft standards fit in.  Undoubtedly, there will be areas of overlap and possibly conflicting concepts, but this organization will make it easy to see them.

The MAHC topic outline is included below for reference.

Review Guidelines from the MAHC

Use the Word document comment form that you can find on the CDC website here (scroll down to find it).  You can download the form, enter your comments, and then either mail or email the document to the MAHC Coordinator.

The CDC asks reviewers who are part of a group or organization to consolidate comments as much as possible.

Use the specific section numbers in the draft document to make your comments on that section.  The section numbers may change in subsequent drafts, so be prepared to adapt accordingly.

For your information, the MAHC grading system, A through C, is used in the proposed standards to help you understand their context.

Grade A:  Practice supported by science/research/data.
Grade B:  Generally accepted practice not supported by science/research/data.
Grade C:  No generally accepted practice.  Proposed language not yet supported by science/research/data.

Add your own detailed comments about the code in the form provided.  If you have questions about the review process, you can contact the MAHC coordinator at MAHC@cdc.gov.

MAHC Overall Topic Outline

1.0 Preface
2.0 User Guide
3.0 Definitions
4.0 Design Standards and Construction
5.0 Facility Maintenance and Operation
6.0 Policies and Management
7.0 Index
8.0 Annexes9.0 Summary of Changes

Copy Us on your Comments, Please

We would love to hear your thoughts about these modules as they roll out.  Our own expertise is expressed through our participation on the Water Quality Technical Committee (our VP Beth Hamil serves on that committee), but we want to know more about all aspects of the code.  Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.