Warning: Splash Pads May Spread More Than Just Fun

(KMDL-FM) Chances are, if you are of a certain age, you can recall the summer fun experience of playing in a sprinkler. If you didn't have a sprinkler, you may have played with a garden hose on a hot day to cool off. The modern-day equivalent of that would have to be the splash pad. 

In the Lafayette, Louisiana area, there are half a dozen or more really cool splash pads for kids to play in. Meanwhile, in a city like Houston, Texas, there are more than 90 splash pads available for public use.

Splash Pads, or as they are known in legal circles, interactive water play areas, are a big deal in the Gulf South when the weather gets hot. For us, that's anywhere from early May through the end of October. And the play areas do provide a refreshing way for kids of all ages and abilities to beat the heat while staying safe.

Or are they really staying safe?

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It's the conundrum of the hotel swimming pool if you ask me. Sure, the water is safe enough, but with all of those "other bodies" in the water, there has to be some kind of risk, right?

Granted, splash pads don't hold water and allow bodies to be submerged in it, but have you ever asked yourself, "Where does the splash pad water come from, and more importantly, where does it go once it has drained away"?

Where Does the Water in a Splash Come From and Where Does It Go?

We can't make a blanket statement that is specific to all splash pad operations. There are some that are engineered differently from others. Also, the regular maintenance and cleaning of the facility figure into the safety aspect as well. So, this information might not apply directly to the splash pad that you and your family enjoy using, but we hope it will make you ask a few questions.

But, generally speaking, splash pad operations use the same water that you and I would find squirting out of our garden hoses. In most cases, the water that drains from the splash pad is recirculated to be used again in the splash pad. Some splash pad sites treat the runoff water before it is sprayed again, while some of them don't.

This is where there could be a concern for some parents. Over time, that water is going to be exposed to a lot of little bodies. All of those little bodies have germs, and many of those germs are going into that water to be recycled and sprayed on the next round of little bodies. Now, for kids in good health, this shouldn't pose too much of a problem given the minimal exposure to the water from a splash pad. Again, they aren't soaking in it.

Where the concern for parents comes in is when kids open their mouths and ingest some of the water, or if they have an open sore or scrape on their bodies. This is how the "bad stuff" gets inside our kids.

How Do Germs Get In Splash Pad Water?

Since germs are a part of nature, there's no way to avoid them completely. But think about this, have you ever seen a kid sit directly on a splash pad jet and have the water spray their backside? Cute, right? Until you realize they are using the splash pad as a public bidet, and any "organic material" that may not have been cleaned from their backside is now suddenly introduced into the water supply.

This is why you don't want your kids opening their mouths at the splash pad. It's also why wounds and cuts can become infected after playing in a splash pad. Also, many splash pad surfaces have to be "slip resistant," which can be tough on tender, wet feet and exposed skin.

And since kids are generally running and playing while in a splash pad, the chances of a slip and a scrape on a knee or an elbow are increased significantly. Should your kid slip, fall, and scrape themselves, it's probably a good idea to end the time at the splash pad and make sure you treat the scrape immediately with germ-killing creams, ointments, or band-aids.

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One other thing to consider about splash pads is sun exposure. The kids are going to be out in the open in the direct sun while they are playing. Make sure you have some waterproof sunblock and that you apply and reapply, much like you would during a day at the pool or the beach.

And on those days when it rains and you can't go splashing, maybe your kids would be interested in these, no batteries or big screens needed.