REHS EXAM Question and Answer 2026
| Exam Success Guide and Revision
Materials | A+ Verified
• Pool Design Basic -✓✓Minimum 60% of water recirculation from gutters and
skimmers, capacity of skimmers and gutters between 100 to 125% of pump
recirculation capacity, indirect water connection to pool water supply lines, deck
drains and pool water drained via an air gap to the sewer system, and automatic
chlorinator for all public pools.
• Contamination Sources for Pools -✓✓bodily discharges (urea, nitrogenous
matter, ammonia, amino acids), oils, creams, lotions, dust, pollen, sabotage,
airborne debris
• Staphylococcal & Streptococcal Species -✓✓Recreational water illnesses
bacterial disease; most common pathogens causing sore throats, fevers, toxic
shock syndrome, impetigo, scarlet fever, pneumonia, and wound infections.
• Chlamydiae trochomatis -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; Trachoma; a chronic or
cyclic disease recycled from mom to children and in nurseries causing conjunctival
scarring.
• typhoid fever -✓✓RWI bacterial disease: Salmonella typhi; reservoir is humans
with transmission via food and water from fecal contamination, flies via
mechanical, shellfish from sewage infested waters, and raw fruits and vegetables
fertilized with night soil (aka human feces).
• Weil's disease -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; Leptospira spp. spirochete bacteria.
From zoonosis (urine) of domestic and wild animals via skin and/or mucosal
contact with lake, stream, canal, irrigation water, contaminated. Occupational
hazard to rice and sugarcane field workers and other fresh water jobs. Reservoirs
include rats, swine, cattle, dogs, and raccoons.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; one of two swimmers'
itch; thermophilic; common to hot tubs; UTIs and URIs.
, • Legionella pneumophila -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; aka Legionnaire's disease;
pneumonia-like symptoms, 40% fatality. Transmission via inhaled droplets only.
Reservoirs include hot tubs, cooling towers, warm ponds, and fountains
• Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; Most common
bacillary dysentery in US.
• Mycobacterium marinum -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; skin infection via open cut
or sore; acquired via aquariums, fish handling and cool swimming pools.
• Campylobacter jejuni -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; gastroenteritis (aka travelers'
diarrhea, mostly foodborne). most common cause of US bacterial diarrhea.
Reservoir includes wild and domestic animals especially poultry, cattle, puppies,
and kittens. Transmission undercooked chicken and pork, fecal contaminated
food and water.
• E. coli 0157:H7 -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; shiga toxin-producing e. coli (STEC)
(EHEC); often grossly bloody diarrhea. can lead to hemolytic-uremic syndrome
(HUS) and kidney failure. Reservoir is guts of ruminant animals, cattle, goats,
sheep, deer, and elk. Transmission is via raw or undercooked ground beef, alfalfa
sprouts, unpasteurized juice and milk, dry cured salami, game meat(deer),
lettuce, RWI, and petting zoos.
• infectious hepatitis -✓✓RWI Viralborne Diseases; aka Hepatitis A, HAV;
reservoir is humans and other primates; transmission can be via fecal to oral,
person to person, or contaminated foods/water. Vaccine available for lifetime
immunity.
• Hepatitis B virus -✓✓RWI Viralborne Diseases; aka HBV; possible should
infected blood be on shared razors or toothbrushes in the grooming areas of
pools and spas.
• Giardia lamblia -✓✓RWI protozoan diseases; aka Beaver Fever; reservoir
includes humans, beavers, and muskrats; transmission person to person via fecal
to oral, ingestion of cysts in contaminated water or contaminated food.
| Exam Success Guide and Revision
Materials | A+ Verified
• Pool Design Basic -✓✓Minimum 60% of water recirculation from gutters and
skimmers, capacity of skimmers and gutters between 100 to 125% of pump
recirculation capacity, indirect water connection to pool water supply lines, deck
drains and pool water drained via an air gap to the sewer system, and automatic
chlorinator for all public pools.
• Contamination Sources for Pools -✓✓bodily discharges (urea, nitrogenous
matter, ammonia, amino acids), oils, creams, lotions, dust, pollen, sabotage,
airborne debris
• Staphylococcal & Streptococcal Species -✓✓Recreational water illnesses
bacterial disease; most common pathogens causing sore throats, fevers, toxic
shock syndrome, impetigo, scarlet fever, pneumonia, and wound infections.
• Chlamydiae trochomatis -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; Trachoma; a chronic or
cyclic disease recycled from mom to children and in nurseries causing conjunctival
scarring.
• typhoid fever -✓✓RWI bacterial disease: Salmonella typhi; reservoir is humans
with transmission via food and water from fecal contamination, flies via
mechanical, shellfish from sewage infested waters, and raw fruits and vegetables
fertilized with night soil (aka human feces).
• Weil's disease -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; Leptospira spp. spirochete bacteria.
From zoonosis (urine) of domestic and wild animals via skin and/or mucosal
contact with lake, stream, canal, irrigation water, contaminated. Occupational
hazard to rice and sugarcane field workers and other fresh water jobs. Reservoirs
include rats, swine, cattle, dogs, and raccoons.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; one of two swimmers'
itch; thermophilic; common to hot tubs; UTIs and URIs.
, • Legionella pneumophila -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; aka Legionnaire's disease;
pneumonia-like symptoms, 40% fatality. Transmission via inhaled droplets only.
Reservoirs include hot tubs, cooling towers, warm ponds, and fountains
• Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; Most common
bacillary dysentery in US.
• Mycobacterium marinum -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; skin infection via open cut
or sore; acquired via aquariums, fish handling and cool swimming pools.
• Campylobacter jejuni -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; gastroenteritis (aka travelers'
diarrhea, mostly foodborne). most common cause of US bacterial diarrhea.
Reservoir includes wild and domestic animals especially poultry, cattle, puppies,
and kittens. Transmission undercooked chicken and pork, fecal contaminated
food and water.
• E. coli 0157:H7 -✓✓RWI bacterial disease; shiga toxin-producing e. coli (STEC)
(EHEC); often grossly bloody diarrhea. can lead to hemolytic-uremic syndrome
(HUS) and kidney failure. Reservoir is guts of ruminant animals, cattle, goats,
sheep, deer, and elk. Transmission is via raw or undercooked ground beef, alfalfa
sprouts, unpasteurized juice and milk, dry cured salami, game meat(deer),
lettuce, RWI, and petting zoos.
• infectious hepatitis -✓✓RWI Viralborne Diseases; aka Hepatitis A, HAV;
reservoir is humans and other primates; transmission can be via fecal to oral,
person to person, or contaminated foods/water. Vaccine available for lifetime
immunity.
• Hepatitis B virus -✓✓RWI Viralborne Diseases; aka HBV; possible should
infected blood be on shared razors or toothbrushes in the grooming areas of
pools and spas.
• Giardia lamblia -✓✓RWI protozoan diseases; aka Beaver Fever; reservoir
includes humans, beavers, and muskrats; transmission person to person via fecal
to oral, ingestion of cysts in contaminated water or contaminated food.
