Keeping germs away from your kids at the 'spraygrounds' this summer.
Damian Stewart, 8, plays in the splash pad at a park in South Bend, Ind., in June. Over 1,800 splash pads operate in major cities, a group says.
"Spraygrounds" are more popular than ever. In its 2022 report on park amenities nationwide, the Trust for Public Land's Center for City Park Excellence documented over 1,800 splash pads in major cities, up from 1,300 in 2017. They're billed as a great way to cool off and a safer alternative to swimming pools. But the fun interactive fountains can spray something else: germs.
Sitting or standing on the jets - a favorite pastime of children of all ages - can wash feces, dirt and microorganisms into the water and spray them into the air . . . or people's mouths.That has presented serious consequences for some spraygrounds. In 2005, thousands of people contracted a gastrointestinal illness after visiting an Upstate New York water attraction. And in more recent years, children have been sickened and some have even died after playing in splash pads.
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