![]() However, the CDC recommends testing those levels every 2-4 hours while splash pads are open.Īll splash pads constructed or remodeled after May 1, 2010, in the state of Texas must have equipment that provides automatic, continuous disinfection and maintains the required pH while the splash pad is open. The state of Texas has regulations for splash pads, but in many cases, they don’t match CDC recommendations.įor example, the state requires chemical testing once or twice a day for chlorine or bromine and pH levels in splash pad water, depending on the equipment used. The city settled with his family in 2022 and created “ The Bakari Williams Protocol,” investing in various health and safety improvements, including technology that shuts the water off automatically when readings are not in acceptable ranges. In both those cases, changes were made in an effort to prevent future illness.Ī cautionary tale of splash pads that hits home for Texans is the case of 3-year-old Bakari Williams, who died after being infected by a brain-eating amoeba at an Arlington splash pad. In New York in 2005, over 2,300 people were infected with Cryptosporidium after using city splash pads, which public health officials found to be unregulated. In 1999, roughly 2,100 people got sick with a microscopic parasite known as Cryptosporidium after playing in an “interactive water fountain” at a beachside park in Florida. The CDC considers splash pads to have an elevated risk of recreational water–associated illness, as they are “often used by smaller children who are likely to increase the risk of water contamination occurring” and are more likely to suffer severe illness if they become infected.īut splash pads aren’t the only aquatic venue with this designation– the CDC also considers therapy pools and wading pools to have elevated risk of illness as well. Many splash pads function using water that recycles back into the system, which raises concerns about germs being circulated in the water if it’s not properly disinfected, as this CDC animation illustrates: Courtesy of the CDC The spray-infused recreation areas require a lot less water than a swimming pool, but federal agencies say the interactive summer attraction can pose its own set of health hazards. TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Splash pads are sometimes thought of as a safer alternative to a traditional public pool due to the decreased drowning risk.
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