Splash Pads Are a Diarrhea Hot Zone, CDC Report Reveals

Water lovers beware: Your local splash pad could be teeming with diarrhea-causing germs. New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention details how these recreational water sources have caused plenty of gastrointestinal illness since their arrival.

The CDC scientists examined surveillance data on waterborne outbreaks dating back to the mid-1990s, when splash pads first became popular in the U.S. They documented dozens of outbreaks associated with splash pads since 1997, many of which resulted in people being sent to the hospital. The findings are the first to quantify the scale of harm linked to splash pads.

Splash pads, also called spray parks or interactive fountains, provide a safer way for people to enjoy the water, especially younger children. The water jets are typically placed on a flat surface where no water is collected, removing any danger of drowning. But they’re not risk-free, as this new report illustrates.

State and local health departments have regularly reported outbreaks of waterborne illness tied to splash pads over the years, some of which occasionally make the news. But the CDC report is apparently the first to summarize the toll of these outbreaks.

All in all, the CDC tallied up at least 60 splash pad-related outbreaks recorded between 1997 and 2022 from 23 states and Puerto Rico. More than 10,000 people were sickened during these outbreaks, while 152 were hospitalized. Thankfully, though, there were no reported deaths. The findings were published Thursday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Like other recreational water sources, splash pads are supposed to use water that’s been treated with chlorine. But there are certain waterborne bugs naturally resistant to chlorine, namely the parasite Cryptosporidium. And it’s this parasite that accounted for most of the illness seen with splash pads. Two-thirds of the outbreaks (40) and 90% of total cases were associated with Cryptosporidium, the CDC found. Splash pads are also less regulated than other recreational water sources, at least in some states, which might allow for a higher risk of improperly treated splash pads in general.

Another important factor in these outbreaks is human behavior. Children under five are the ones most likely to be playing in splash pads, and they’re also less likely to have “mastered toileting and hygiene skills,” as the CDC puts it. In other words, it’s their infected poop that usually ends up contaminating the local splash pad, and so-called “swim-diapers” offer no protection against that. Children might also not understand the need to avoid the water if they’ve recently had diarrhea, which is a common warning seen at recreational water facilities (that said, plenty of unhygienic adults ignore that advice, too).

While kids will be kids, the CDC authors say more work needs to be done to mitigate these outbreaks. Their recommendations include expanding the regulations surrounding splash pads, adding secondary lines of decontamination, such as ultraviolet light treatment, to further reduce the risk of Cryptosporidium, and advising parents to discourage behaviors in their kids that raise the risk of contamination, such as kids standing or sitting over a jet. Um, on that last point, good luck with that.