Splash pads are recreational venues that incorporate jet sprays of water, misters, and interactive features to keep family members, especially young kids, delighted and refreshed over the hot summer.
Splash pads are more budget-friendly than water parks, and there is typically no standing water, greatly reducing the risk of drowning. Unlike water parks, however, many splash pads are unregulated, and the water at some may not be adequately disinfected.
At most splash pads, water is constantly draining to keep it from pooling. Pipes take it to an underground tank, where it is filtered and treated with chlorine or bromine to kill bacteria and viruses, then sprayed again. However, some splash pads do not properly disinfect the water — or don’t attempt to at all. Any bacteria, viruses, urine, poop, sweat, and dirt washed off of splash pad participants are rounded up, recirculated, and sprayed upon aquatic enthusiasts who are none the wiser.
In June 2022, 27 people were sickened at a Kansas splash pad after ingesting water contaminated by shigella bacteria and noroviruses. From 2020 to 2023, three young kids from Texas and Arkansas died from a form of meningoencephalitis (brain infection) contracted at splash pads.
Take some splash pad precautions:
- Shower before heading to the splash pad.
- Anyone under the weather should stay home.
- Make sure your kids take plenty of bathroom breaks.
- Check diaper wearers often; swim diapers are far from a cure-all.
- Don’t hover over spray jets, which wash off all the “stuff” to be recirculated.
- Do your best not to swallow any water.
If you are harmed by someone’s negligence, contact our firm to protect your rights.
