Editing Splash pad

{{Short description|Area for water play that has little or no standing water}}
[[Image:Urbeach-high-park-splashpad.jpg|thumb|Urban beach style splash pad located within the municipal swimming baths of Toronto's [[High Park]]]]

A '''splash pad''' or '''spray pool''' is a recreation area, often in a [[public park]], for [[water]] [[play (activity)|play]] that has little or no standing water.  This is said to eliminate the need for [[lifeguard]]s or other supervision, as there is little risk of [[drowning]].

Typically there are ground nozzles that [[spray (liquid drop)|spray]] water upwards out of the splash pad's raindeck.  There may also be other water features such as a rainbow (semicircular pipe shower), or mushroom- or tree-shaped showers. Some splash pads feature movable nozzles similar to those found on [[fire trucks]] to allow users to spray others. The showers and ground nozzles are often controlled by a hand activated-motion sensor, to run for limited time.

Typically the water is either freshwater, or recycled and treated water, that is typically treated to at least the same level of quality as [[swimming pool]] water standards.  These splash pads are often surfaced in textured non-slip concrete or in [[crumb rubber]].

==Definitions==
A typical definition was laid out by a 1986 Heath Act in [[British Columbia]] which stated that a spray pool is "an artificially constructed depression or basin for use by children, into which [[potable water]] is sprayed but not allowed to accumulate in the bottom."<ref>[http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/reg/H/Health/Health289_72/289_72.htm#section2 Provisions of the Health Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 179]</ref>

Similarly, the city of [[Norfolk, Virginia]], specifically defines a spray pool as "any shallow manmade structure constructed from materials other than natural [[soil|earth or soil]] used for spraying humans with water and which has a drainage area designated to remove the water from the shower or spray [[nozzle]]s at a rate sufficient to prevent the impounding of water."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.norfolk.gov/pub_health/Codes.asp |title=City of Norfolk, Virginia: Codes and Regulations of Interest |access-date=2014-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128030624/http://www.norfolk.gov/pub_health/codes.asp |archive-date=2013-01-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Spray pool features may also be referred to as "interactive fountains"<ref name=hlavsa2011>{{cite journal|vauthors=Hlavsa MC, Roberts VA, Anderson AR, Hill VR, Kahler AM, Orr M, Garrison LE, Hicks LA, Newton A, Hilborn ED, Wade TJ, Beach MJ, Yoder JS|display-authors=6|title=Surveillance for Waterborne Disease Outbreaks and Other Health Events Associated with Recreational Water --- United States, 2007--2008|journal=MMWR|url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6012a1.htm|access-date=15 September 2023|date=23 September 2011|volume=60|issue=SS12|pages=1–32}}</ref> or "wet decks".<ref name=cdcsplashpads>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/swimmers/water-play-areas-interactive-fountains.html|title=Splash Pads|website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|access-date=15 September 2023|date=22 June 2023}}</ref>

===Splash fountains===
[[File:Fountain in Krasnodar.jpg|thumb|right|The Splash Fountain in [[Krasnodar]], Russia, the largest splash fountain in Europe<ref name="Krasnodar">[http://sergio-zevs.blogspot.com/2011/10/splash-fountain-in-krasnodar.html The Splash Fountain in Krasnodar]</ref>]]

Splash [[fountain]]s, unlike splash pads, encourage use from people of all ages. These fountains are usually designed to be both visually appealing (from a distance) and also interactive. As such, they are designed to allow easy access, often at ground level. They tend to feature nonslip surfaces, and have no standing water, to eliminate possible drowning hazards, so that no lifeguards are required. Multiple fountains may start and stop in unison or according to a pattern for artistic effect. While they may be placed in public parks like children's splash pads, splash fountains are also likely to be placed in public squares or at [[urban beach]]es.

==Popularity==
Popular in summertime and especially prevalent in [[city|urban areas]], the spray pool offers an alternative to the practice of opening [[fire hydrant]]s so that children can play and cool off in the water – a practice which is illegal and has been cited as dangerous in that it lowers the [[water pressure]] in a given area and makes [[firefighting]] more difficult.<ref>[http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/press_releases/07-30pr.shtml The City of New York]</ref>  A spray pool does not need to be staffed by qualified [[lifeguards]].

==Common features==
===Spray force===
Depending upon the strength and arc of the flow, the force of the spray can be relatively strong (especially close to the point where the water emerges) or may have more resemblance to [[rainfall]] or even a fine [[mist]]. Many splash pads have some features such as fine mist, that are designed to be moderate enough for children.  Other splash fountains are designed for adults, e.g. for joggers or concert goers to cool off in.

===Drainage===
The area beneath a spray pool typically has [[drainage|drain]] openings so that the water it produces will not [[flood]] the surrounding landscape. In some instances, the water collected in these drains is [[recycled]] back into the spray mechanism, thereby [[water conservation|conserving water]]. Alternatively, the water emanating from the spray [[nozzle]]s may be continually drawn from a [[fresh water|fresh]] [[water supply]].

==Special features==
===Hydraulophones===
[[Image:Hydraulophone45hole-fluteOSC South Division of Pipe Organ.jpg|thumb|One of the features of the circular splash pad in front of the Ontario Science Centre is a [[hydraulophone]] flute with 45 finger holes.  Here a [[hydraulist]] demonstrates hydraulophone technique.]]

[[Hydraulophone]]s are the world's first musical instrument that makes music from vibrations in water.  By pressing on jets of water laid out to a musical scale, hydraulophones make a unique sound.  Hydraulophones have been installed in water parks, museums, and science centres around the world, including the [[Legoland California Resort]], [[Chicago Children's Museum]], and the [[Ontario Science Centre]] in [[Toronto]].

===Heating===
At the splash fountain at Dundas Square in Toronto, Ontario, the water is heated by solar energy captured by special dark-colored granite slabs.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

==Safety==
Inadequately treated, recirculated spray pool systems present a health hazard.<ref name=cdcsplashpads/>  In certain jurisdictions, splash pads may not be subject to public swimming pool water quality requirements because they do not contain standing water.  People wearing regular clothing and street shoes, pets and young children may introduce pathogens into the spray pool when they cool off in it.<ref name=hlavsa2011/>  

Outbreaks of [[cryptosporidiosis]] associated with water parks have occurred in Florida in 1999,<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4925a3.htm|title=Outbreak of Gastroenteritis Associated With an Interactive Water Fountain at a Beachside Park --- Florida, 1999|journal=MMWR|date=30 June 2000|volume=49|issue=25|pages=565–568|access-date=15 September 2023|publisher=CDC|vauthors=Minshew P, Ward K, Mulla Z, Hammond R, Johnson D, Herber S, Hopkins R|pmid=10921495 }}</ref> in New York in 2005<ref name="cdcsplashpads" /> and in Idaho in 2007.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Ezell H, Irons D, Isenberg F, Tramontin B, Huffe E, Greenwalt C, Hahn C, Mundt S, Radwin S, Shanahan T, Turner K, Vlcek K, Zager E, Lee D, Bailey S, Dodo G, Harris S, Parker J, Beach M, Hlavsa M, Yoder J, Xiao L, Bisgard K|display-authors=6|title=Outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis Associated with a Splash Park --- Idaho, 2007|journal=MMWR|date=12 June 2009|volume=58|issue=22|pages=615–618|pmid=19521333|url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5822a2.htm|access-date=15 September 2023}}</ref>  

Since 2021 there have been 3 child deaths from [[primary amoebic meningoencephalitis]] (PAM) caused by the amoeba ''[[Naegleria fowleri]]'' contracted from exposure to inadequately disinfected water in splash pads, two in Texas and one in Arkansas.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Eger |first=Lynne |last2=Pence |first2=Morgan A. |date=2023-07-20 |title=The Brief Case: A Case of Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) after Exposure at a Splash Pad |url=https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/jcm.01269-22?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org |journal=Journal of Clinical Microbiology |volume=61 |issue=7 |pages=e01269–22 |doi=10.1128/jcm.01269-22|pmc=10358179 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dulski |first=Theresa M. |date=2025 |title=Fatal Case of Splash Pad–Associated Naegleria fowleri Meningoencephalitis — Pulaski County, Arkansas, September 2023 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7410a2.htm?s_cid=mm7410a2_w |journal=MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report |language=en-us |volume=74 |doi=10.15585/mmwr.mm7410a2 |issn=0149-2195|pmc=11949314 }}</ref> 

==Examples==
Placement and management of spray pools varies according to the municipality in which they are located. For example:
*On [[Boston Common]], the so-called "Frog Pond" (which is a public [[ice-skating rink]] in winter) becomes a spray pool for children in the summer.<ref>[http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/OpenSpace_07draft/OSP0812Section7.3.3EN.pdf] Open Space management for [[Emerald Necklace]]</ref> The facility is managed by the Boston Common Frog Pond Foundation and staffed by youth workers from the Boston Youth Fund.<ref>[http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/TTD/frogpond_summer.asp City of Boston: Boston Common Spray Pool]</ref>
* The spray pool at Phillips Park in [[Aurora, Illinois]], dates from the 1930s and has closed and reopened several times. It is now part of the Phillips Park Family Aquatic Center next to the [[Phillips Park Zoo]].<ref>[http://www.aurora-il.org/parksandrecreation/municipalparks/phillipspark/timeline.php Phillips Park - History Time Line]{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
*[[Public Health - Seattle & King County|Seattle & King County]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], has a "Plan Guide for Water Recreation Facilities – Spray Pools" listing very specific considerations such as the use of non-slip surfaces and the positioning of the spray pools so as to "minimize [[pollution]] by [[dust]], [[smoke]], [[soot]] and other undesirable substances."<ref>[http://www.metrokc.gov/health/pools/spraypools-planguide.doc Seattle & King County, Pool Plan Review Application] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924092241/http://www.metrokc.gov/health/pools/spraypools-planguide.doc |date=2008-09-24 }}</ref>
*[[Oregon City, Oregon]], has a spray pool at the Oregon City Carnegie Center. Formerly run by the city, the center and its programs recently reopened under the auspices of a private organization called Fine Art Smarts.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oregoncityparks.org/classes-and-activities/documents/Trailnews_Summer2005.pdf |title=City of Oregon City: Trail News |access-date=2018-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305031827/http://oregoncityparks.org/classes-and-activities/documents/trailnews_summer2005.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.occarnegie.org/ Oregon City Carnegie Center]</ref>
*North Berwyn Park District in [[Berwyn, Illinois]], offers a permit for the use of a city-owned [[community center]] and spray pool for [[Party#Birthday party|birthday parties]].<ref>[http://www.nbpd4fun.org/PDF/SprayPoolForm.pdf North Berwyn Park District]{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Water park]]
*[[Vortex Aquatic Structures International]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Commons category|Splash pads}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Splash Pad}}
[[Category:Water parks]]
[[Category:Urban beaches|* ]]
[[Category:Outdoor recreation]]