13 February 2008

Splashground Water Unsafe

Photo of child at Parky's Sprayground at Winton Woods drinking the water.
 


I remember the day I took the above picture. As I recall, I went to the Hamilton County Park sprayground because the Cincinnati Public Pools were all closed for the season. Soon after I snapped this photo, the sprayground (with recirculating water) was closed because a child's diaper leaked a turd on the non-slip surface. The guards immediately closed the operation, scrubbed the area. Ran the pumps and tested the PH level of the water. After 40 minutes or so, the sprayground was re-opened.

Cincinnati Recreation Commission wants to run its proposed spraygrounds with out any staff. Ask yourself, how safe is that?

Here is a link to a class action lawsuit by an estimated 3,800 people who got sick by contact with water at a sprayground.

In addition to the health safety, I wonder about the punk factor. Can an unsupervised sprayground be safe for little kids? The teenagers in many neighborhoods can get very rowdy, and a big part of lifeguarding is controlling the atmosphere of the place.

1 comment:

WestEnder said...

As long as the water is chlorinated, people should be fine. The only exception (as illustrated by the lawsuit) is crypto, which cannot be killed by chlorine.

Municipal water is treated for crypto, but people (usually kids) can still pick it up from, well, wherever kids pick up all the things they get.

From a health standpoint it might make sense not to allow anyone under a certain age to have access.

My parents had a backyard pool and my father wouldn't allow any babies in the water because he knew the risk of crypto. And since it can't be killed by chlorine, disinfection is a major headache.