What’s in the water at San Antonio’s splash pads?

SAN ANTONIO – The City of San Antonio’s splash pads are busy during the summer, which is why KSAT Investigates wanted to see how safe the water is.

At Martin Luther King Park’s splash pad, Victor Orozco loves to play with his friends. He even had a birthday party there.

“We just bring our water guns and our balls so we can play around, run around, use our bikes, our scooters,” Orozco said. “The only thing is like just having fun.”

Fun — and safety — are at the top of his mom, Samantha Silva’s mind.

KSAT asked Silva if she ever worries about what’s in the water her son plays in.

“I do, but like we’ve been coming here for like a year now and nothing has happened to my kids,” Silva replied. “So everything at the moment seems okay.”

While he’s been lucky enough to avoid getting sick, Orosco has seen some things.

“Like a lot of kids, like just walk around, but when they get in the dirt and get the balls, they come back in and there’s dirt and then maybe the water comes back with the dirt, and kids drink it,” he said.

And it’s not just little kids taking sips.

“I even sometimes drink the water,” admitted Clara Morin, laughing.

She spent years bringing her kids to the splash pads at Elmendorf Lake Park.

“Today, I am the kid,” she said.

Water samples are tested in a lab

Last week, KSAT Investigates visited all seven splash pads maintained by the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department.

We took sterilized containers to collect samples from each park.

KSAT Investigates took the samples to the Eurofins Environment Testing lab in San Antonio.

A technician incubated the samples to test for two different types of bacteria.

• Coliforms – If the count is high, the CDC said it’s likely harmful germs, like certain viruses, bacteria, and parasites are in the water.
• E. coli – A type of coliform that could indicate feces or other harmful germs are in the water. People can get infected after swallowing it, according to the CDC.

After more than 24 hours, KSAT Investigates got the results.

All seven samples had virtually no bacteria, according to the lab’s quality assurance manager, Sean Galicki.

“Public safety-wise, based off of these results, it’s safe,” he said. “You wouldn’t have to worry about any bacteria.”

We showed the results to both moms.

“That’s good,“ said Silva. ”That gives us a peace of mind. You know, make sure that the playground or the splash pad is safe for the kids.

Morin joked that it made her feel more comfortable taking a drink from the splash pad.

“Okay, awesome, that’s great,” she said. “That’s wonderful to know, to know that our kids can be out here enjoying it.”

KSAT Investigates asked the city’s Parks and Recreation Department to demonstrate their testing process four different times over the last month, but they did not make anyone available before the publication of this story.

In an email, Connie Swann, marketing manager for the Parks and Recreation department, told KSAT Investigates that the splash pad’s pH level fluctuates for several reasons, including the weather or after an especially busy day.

Swann said the city has several safeguards in place to ensure splash pad safety, including:

• Automatically regulating for chlorine and pH levels

• Monitoring splash pad system’s readings daily, including manual readings

• Shutting down splash pads if pH levels are too high or low

Swann said the department’s plumbers all have aquatic facility operator certifications.

Parents like Silva said they were glad to see KSAT test the water and show the results.

“It makes us feel safer, you know,” she said.

Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.