Photo Credit: Courtesy of Deb Farrar
The city of Colton, Calif., recently completed work on a $3-million renovation to its Veterans Park. The project includes the installation of a three-field baseball/softball sports complex, two children’s play areas, two basketball courts, a fenced hard-court soccer field, four horseshoe pits, turf and concrete path improvements and a splash pad. The renovation has reinvigorated the park, which has been a mainstay in the community since 1939. While all of the new features have been popular with residents, the splash pad has been the main attraction for the neighborhood youth.
Although the outward appearance of Colton’s newest water attraction is similar to others, the design of the splash pad makes it noteworthy. During the design process, the staff grappled with ideas like using a recycled/treated-water system, or allowing the grey water to escape to the city’s sewer system. Neither choice was palatable, as the wasteful grey-water system was not eco-friendly and the treated-water system was cost-prohibitive. The staff feared that the splash-pad concept might have to be eliminated from the overall project.
Another Option
Tom Williams, the city engineer and project manager, had another idea. Since the park project included new ball fields requiring daily irrigation to maintain, why not capture the grey water from the splash pad and use it to irrigate the fields? Everyone agreed that this was a great idea--but was it practical?