MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
Think a splashpad functions like a simple sprinkler, shooting water in different directions when on and stopping after being turned off? Wrong! A carefully calculated series of events take place behind the scenes.
Water sequences are programmed, and interactive features are hydraulically tied together. If one child stops the pressure on a feature by covering the spray nozzle with his or her foot, it influences the pressure on a feature another youngster is playing with.
Splashpad features are not all on at the same time either.“ We try and sequence them around the pad so that it’ s always a guessing game as to where the water’ s coming from next,” Blake Theisen explained.“ Splashpads run in variable time sequences, depending on how we program them, so once a kid activates it, it will start up, and the water flows. It will cycle through all of our features on the pad for six or 10 minutes.”
Theisen programs in four or five sequences“ in the brain of the system,” and“ once a kids learns that,‘ OK, the water goes from A to B to C to D,’ sequence two starts, and it may either reverse it, or it may go A to C to E to B to D. We try to break the monotony of the same sequence every time.”
Splashpads are also designed to partition off areas by age group, often a section for toddlers, another for kids 5 to 8, and a third for those ages 9 and older.
“ Little kids don’ t want 20 gallons of water pounding them on the head, but that’ s what someone who’ s 10, 11, 12 wants to do. They want to have the big soak,” Theisen said.
– Jennifer Schmidt
4│TRENDS
POPULARITY PICKING UP
The Blue Mound State Park splashpad is one of 18 Theisen and MacDonald have designed in the last nine years. Splashpads, also referred to as aquatic playgrounds, spray parks, and splash parks, have skyrocketed in popularity since the mid-2000s, according to both Theisen and MacDonald. They’ ve found that many municipal pools were reaching or exceeding their life expectancy, leaving clients debating whether to invest millions of dollars to rebuild their pool or spend a fraction of the cost and install an interactive water feature, which typically has far fewer needs for long-term maintenance, upkeep, and staffing.
“ They are reasonably affordable for a community to construct and to maintain. There aren’ t as many liability issues associated with them as there sometimes can be for pools. They do not require lifeguards, which can be a cost savings for communities, and they fit into almost any kind of landscape,” MacDonald said.“ Pool facilities just take a lot more of everything, whereas a splashpad can fit into almost any location in a community.”
CONSIDERATIONS MADE
When designing splashpads, Theisen and MacDonald consider a host of factors, including parking, ADA standards, shade, location, and proximity to restrooms.
“ All of that comes into play. If this is going into a pre-existing site, we will definitely make sure that there is ample parking and that it’ s very close to restroom facilities, and potential changing rooms need to be within a couple hundred feet of the splashpad,” MacDonald said.
Different regulations are associated with different types of splashpads. In a“ flow-through” system, water is pumped into the splashpad and either drained into the community’ s storm system as wastewater or repurposed for irrigation. A“ recirculating system” involves filtering and disinfecting water before its redistributed back into the splashpad features. This type of system is regarded as a pool by the state – thus bringing more regulations.