Spray pool
Encyclopedia
Water feature
In landscape architecture and garden design, a water feature is one or more items from a range of fountains, pools, ponds, cascades, waterfalls, and streams. Before the 18th century they were usually powered by gravity, though the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon are described by Strabo as...
, often in a public park, that spray
Spray
Spray can refer to:* Spray ** Aerosol spray** Blood spray** Road/tire spray, kicked up from a vehicle tire** Snow spray, a spray that creates artificial snow fall...
s water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
so that users can play
Play (activity)
Play is a term employed in ethology and psychology to describe to a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment...
in it. The water typically emanates from a point on or near the ground, but in some cases this same kind of mechanism will be installed so as to emanate from near the surface of a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
or wading pool. In other cases, a ring of jets will shoot arcs of water towards a center point.
Definitions
A typical definition was laid out by a 1996 Heath Act in British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
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
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
specifically defines a spray pool as "any shallow manmade structure constructed from materials other than natural earth or soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
used for spraying humans with water and which has a drainage area designated to remove the water from the shower or spray nozzle
Nozzle
A nozzle is a device designed to control the direction or characteristics of a fluid flow as it exits an enclosed chamber or pipe via an orifice....
s at a rate sufficient to prevent the impounding of water."
Spray force
Depending upon the strength and arc of the flow, the force of the spray can be relatively strong (especially close to the point where the water emerges) or may have more resemblance to rainfall or even a fine mistMist
Mist is a phenomenon of small droplets suspended in air. It can occur as part of natural weather or volcanic activity, and is common in cold air above warmer water, in exhaled air in the cold, and in a steam room of a sauna. It can also be created artificially with aerosol canisters if the...
. When not combined with a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
or wading pool, a spray pool sometimes has a shallow "splash pool" a few inches deep.
Drainage
As mentioned, the area beneath a spray pool typically has drainDrain
A drain is a plumbing fixture that provides an exit-point for waste water or water that is to be re-circulatedDrain may also refer to:* Drainage, the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area...
openings so that the water it produces will not flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
the surrounding landscape. In some instances, the water collected in these drains is recycled back into the spray mechanism, thereby conserving water
Water conservation
Water conservation refers to reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes such as cleaning, manufacturing, and agricultural irrigation.- Water conservation :Water conservation can be defined as:...
. Additionally, the water emanating from the spray nozzle
Nozzle
A nozzle is a device designed to control the direction or characteristics of a fluid flow as it exits an enclosed chamber or pipe via an orifice....
s is continually drawn from a fresh
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
as previously mentioned.
Popularity
Popular in summertime and especially prevalent in urban areasCity
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
, the spray pool offers an alternative to the practice of opening fire hydrant
Fire hydrant
A fire hydrant , is an active fire protection measure, and a source of water provided in most urban, suburban and rural areas with municipal water service to enable firefighters to tap into the municipal water...
s so that children can play and cool off in the water - a practice which is illegal and has been cited as dangerous in that it lowers the water pressure in a given area and makes firefighting more difficult. A spray pool does not need to be staffed by qualified lifeguards.
Examples
Placement and management of spray pools varies according to the municipality in which they are located. For example:- On Boston CommonBoston CommonBoston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street,...
, the so-called "Frog Pond" (which is a public ice-skating rink in winter) becomes a spray pool for children in the summer. The facility is managed by the Boston Common Frog Pond Foundation and staffed by youth workers from the Boston Youth Fund. - The spray pool at Phillips Park in Aurora, IllinoisAurora, IllinoisAurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
dates from the 1930s and has closed and reopened several times. It is now part of the Phillips Park Family Aquatic Center next to the Phillips Park ZooPhillips Park ZooPhillips Park Zoo is located on the grounds of Phillips Park, in Aurora, Illinois, USA. It was originally established in 1915, and is still open year-round with no admission charge...
. - Seattle & King CountyPublic Health - Seattle & King CountyPublic Health - Seattle & King County is the Public Health department that is jointly managed by the City of Seattle and King County governments serving approximately 1.8 million residents in King County, Washington State...
, Washington has a "Plan Guide for Water Recreation Facilities - Spray Pools" listing very specific considerations such as the use of non-slip surfaces and the positioning of the spray pools so as to "minimize pollutionPollutionPollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
by dustDustDust consists of particles in the atmosphere that arise from various sources such as soil dust lifted up by wind , volcanic eruptions, and pollution...
, smokeSmokeSmoke is a collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires , but may also be used for pest...
, sootSootSoot is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolyzed fuel particles such as cenospheres,...
and other undesirable substances." - Oregon City, OregonOregon City, OregonOregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
has a spray pool at the Oregon City Carnegie Center. Formerly run by the city, the center and its programs recently reopened under the auspices of a private organization called Fine Art Smarts. - North Berwyn Park District in Berwyn, IllinoisBerwyn, IllinoisBerwyn is a city in Cook County, Illinois, co-existent with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,016.-Demographics:...
offers a permit for the use of a city-owned community center and spray pool for birthday parties.