Splash pool

A splash pad or spray pool is a recreation area, often in a public park, for water play that has little or no standing water. This is said to eliminate the need for lifeguards or other supervision, as there is little risk of drowning.

Typically there are ground nozzles that spray water upwards out of the splash pad's raindeck. There may also be other water features such as a rainbow (semicircular pipe shower), or mushroom- or tree-shaped showers. Some splash pads feature movable nozzles similar to those found on fire trucks to allow users to spray others. The showers and ground nozzles are often controlled by a hand activated-motion sensor, to run for limited time.

Typically the water is either freshwater, or recycled and treated water, that is typically treated to at least the same level of quality as swimming pool water standards. These splash pads are often surfaced in textured non-slip concrete or in crumb rubber.

A typical definition was laid out by a 1986 Heath Act in British Columbia which stated that a spray pool is "an artificially constructed depression or basin for use by children, into which potable water is sprayed but not allowed to accumulate in the bottom."

Similarly, the city of Norfolk, Virginia, specifically defines a spray pool as "any shallow manmade structure constructed from materials other than natural earth or soil used for spraying humans with water and which has a drainage area designated to remove the water from the shower or spray nozzles at a rate sufficient to prevent the impounding of water."

Splash fountains, unlike splash pads, encourage use from people of all ages. These fountains are usually designed to be both visually appealing (from a distance) and also interactive. As such, they are designed to allow easy access, often at ground level. They tend to feature nonslip surfaces, and have no standing water, to eliminate possible drowning hazards, so that no lifeguards are required. Multiple fountains may start and stop in unison or according to a pattern for artistic effect. While they may be placed in public parks like children's splash pads, splash fountains are also likely to be placed in public squares or at urban beaches.

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