This photo is of my niece’s children Lincoln and Millie at a splash pad playground for Millie’s 4th birthday party. They live in Yukon, Oklahoma, which is right next to Mustang, Oklahoma where the city-owned splash pad and adjoining playground are located. What a marvelous way for a city to invest its collected taxes — free playgrounds for the children of the community! All the birthday guests had a great time either getting wet on the splash pad or romping around the extensive playground. Playgrounds have evolved since I was a child. We basically had slides and swing sets. Now they have pipes built into fences where you can make music, low-level zip lines, tunnels to crawl in and rock walls to climb. Certainly, splash pads were not in existence when I was a child. I was lucky to go to the one outdoor pool in town which was right next to a grain elevator, specks of which often floated in the air and often into the pool. Of course, the younger kids were at the shallow end, but we had to share the pool with the older kids who kept jumping off the high dive and splashing everyone within a 25-foot radius. Splash pads are much gentler, a way better design for younger children. Let’s learn more about them.
According to Wikipedia, a splash pad or spray pool is a recreation area — often in a public park — for water play that has little or no standing water. This is said to eliminate the need for lifeguards or other supervision, as there is little risk of drowning.
Typically, there are ground nozzles that spray water upwards out of the splash pad's raindeck. There may also be other water features such as a rainbow or 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 a 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, recycled rubber produced from automotive and truck scrap tires.
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."
Similarly, the city of Norfolk, Virginia, specifically defines a spray pool as "any shallow manmade structure constructed from materials other than natural 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 nozzles at a rate sufficient to prevent the impounding of water."
Splash fountains
Splash fountains, 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 beaches, an artificially created environment in an urban setting which simulates a public beachfront, through the use of sand, beach umbrellas and seating elements.
Popularity
Popular in summertime and especially prevalent in urban areas, the spray pool offers an alternative to the practice of opening fire hydrants 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. A spray pool does not need to be staffed by qualified lifeguards.
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 concertgoers to cool off.
Drainage
The area beneath a spray pool typically has 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 conserving water. Alternatively, the water emanating from the spray nozzles may be continually drawn from a fresh water supply.
Hydraulophones
Hydraulophones 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 centers around the world, including the Legoland California Resort, Chicago Children's Museum and the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto.
Pachelbel's Canon played on the water fountain — water pipe organ flute, hydraulophone — out in front of the Ontario Science Centre.
Heating
At the splash fountains at Dundas Square in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the water is heated by solar energy captured by the special dark-colored granite slabs.
Boston Common Frog Pond
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. The facility is managed by the Boston Common Frog Pond Foundation and staffed by youth workers from the Boston Youth Fund.
Phillips Park Family Aquatic Center in Aurora, Illinois
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.
Oregon City, Oregon spray pool
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.
North Berwyn Park District in Berwyn, Illinois spray pool
North Berwyn Park District in Berwyn, Illinois offers a permit for the use of a city-owned community center and spray pool for birthday parties.
Best Splash Pads in the U.S.
According to USA Today in 2017, the best splash pads in the country are listed below.
Seattle Center International Fountain - Seattle
The International Fountain — a centerpiece from the World's Fair at the Seattle Center — has been transformed into a giant splash pad where kids and adults can splash in the fountain bowl or venture right up to the smooth silver dome at its center.
The Yards Park – Washington, D.C.
When D.C. heats up, head to The Yards Park to cool down. This Capitol riverfront favorite features popular dancing fountains where kids love to splash, all with a riverfront view.
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Fountains - Boston
The seven water features situated within the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in Boston rank among the park's most popular attractions. Young visitors can dip their toes in the Canal Fountains or race through the jets at the Rings Fountain. The interactive Harbor Fog sculpture responds to movement around it with a cooling mist.
The Dinosaur Place Splashpad - Montville, Connecticut
For a small fee, visitors get access to New England’s biggest splash pad, The Dinosaur Place. Situated within Nature’s Art Village, this water playground includes 30 dinosaur-themed features — water cannons, dumping buckets and even a ribcage waterfall.
Centennial Center Park – Centennial, Colorado
To cool off in Centennial, Colorado, head to Centennial Center Park. The free Nautilus water playground is packed with water features, including a shallow stream running through the middle. Little ones love running through the fountains or standing beneath the tipping bucket.
Historic Fourth Ward Park Spashpad – Atlanta
Atlanta’s historic Fourth Ward Park is home to a splash pad featuring numerous water jets and plenty of space to play. Benches are a welcome addition for parents.
Mt. Elliott Park - Detroit
Opened in 2017, Mt. Elliott Park in Detroit includes a kid-favorite, schooner-themed water feature complete with water cascades and kid-activated water cannons among its many interactive features.
Piratesville Splash Pad - Hartsville, South Carolina
One of the largest splash pads in the southeast, Piratesville centers around a pint-sized pirate ship outfitted with water slides, jets, water cannons, dumping buckets, fountains and water wheels..
Discovery Green – Houston
Popular interactive water elements inside Houston’s Discovery Green include fanciful Gateway Fountain with its 14-foot arching jets, as well as a sculptural Mist Tree in the middle of the Sarofim Picnic Lawn.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Water Lab at Pier 6 - Brooklyn, New York
Opened in 2010, the playgrounds at Brooklyn Bridge Park include the summer favorite Water Lab at Pier 6, where kids can cool off in a field of water jets with big boulders to climb on. Water shoes are recommended.
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