What is a Splash Pad or Splash Park?

Splash pads are a safe, affordable, recreational, zero-depth water attraction that can be installed anywhere. A splash pad is an area for water play that has no standing water like wading pools. This eliminates the need for any lifeguards or other special safety supervision. They typically consist of multiple spray jets and/or above-ground spray features. Splash pads creates an area for little children and toddlers to be interactive and enjoy a cooling water experience without fear of standing water or the dangers that involves. Parents can relax too, which makes it more fun for the entire family. Since traditional “kiddy pools” or “baby pools” are all too often used as a “pee pool”, this is also a much more sanitary alternative.

Splash pads have been around in the commercial industry for decades, but seem to have received less attention than they deserve. They now are becoming an increasingly popular way to enhance recreational areas at a very reasonable cost. The technology includes ground nozzles that spray water upwards from the splash pad’s deck. Above ground add-ons include features such as a rainbow (semi-circular pipe shower), a mushroom shower, dumping buckets or a tree shower for additional fun. Some splash pads feature the showers and ground nozzles controlled by hand-activated motion sensors which run for a limited time. Typically, the splash pad water is either freshwater or recycled, treated water that has been treated to at least standard commercial swimming pool specifications. Splash pads represent a natural evolution of the backyard sprinkler cool-down concept ... something we all remember with fond memories.

"The nice thing about splash pads in open parks is they're very cross-generational," says Ron Romens, owner and president of Commercial Recreation Specialists in Verona, Wisconsin. "They represent a space where parents and grandparents can bring kids. The kids can play, and the moms have a cup of coffee. They don't have to be right next to the kids in case they have to grab them like in a wading pool. It's very much a social, community-building space."