By Sylvia Bucklew
An inclusive splash pad now anchors the enhancements to Anamax Park, giving families and residents a welcoming place to cool off and play together. Designed for people of all ages and abilities, the new feature reflects a commitment to accessible recreation and the growing demand for inclusive public spaces.
This addition comes as part of ongoing development in the Town of Sahuarita, located just south of Tucson, Ariz., which has expanded over the past two decades, and is now home to more than 35,000 residents. Recognizing this need, the town enhanced its largest and oldest recreational space with a new feature for families and residents to enjoy—the town’s very first splash pad.
With no standing water and a wide range of spray effects, splash pads are known as one of the most inclusive forms of aquatic play, offering a welcoming experience for users of all ages and abilities. Splash pads are also valuable additions in communities that experience intense summer heat and frequent heat warnings, offering residents a safe and refreshing way to cool down.
The design of the Anamax Park splash pad emphasizes accessibility. The installation includes water and spray features usable by all ages, fostering inclusive play. All surfaces are navigable by stroller, wheelchair or walker, and the space welcomes individuals with sensory, auditory, behavioral or physical challenges to play either alongside others or independently.
Engaging Elements
The splash pad features a variety of themed aquatic play elements designed to spark imagination and encourage interactive fun. Children can engage with desert-inspired creatures such as a Gila monster, lizard, rattlesnake and scorpion, as well as playful elements shaped like a cactus and desert flower. These are paired with additional aquatic features such as rock-like structures that create rainfall effects and a tall cactus centerpiece that towers over the play area. These themed splash pad elements are complemented by a variety of additional play features, including coiled water sprays, worm-like sprayers, solar-inspired spinners and shimmering water screens that add multisensory engagement through spray effects and dynamic motion. The overall look and feel of the space draws direct inspiration from the Arizona desert, with playful nods to local wildlife and natural landscapes that give the splash pad its unique character.
Adding to the interactivity are water cannons that allow users to control the flow by adjusting the angle, along with ground sprays that create a basket-weave pattern across the splash pad surface. For high-energy fun, large overhead dump features release cascades of water from multiple directions, ideal for older children seeking a thrilling soak. A four-bucket clover configuration provides 360-degree splashes, allowing more participants to join in the experience.
Incorporating features like water curtains, misters and bubblers can provide a variety of tactile experiences that can be enjoyable for people with sensory processing disorders. Cognitive and developmental stages in each child affect their ability to process sensory experiences differently. It is therefore important to have zones with lower water use that progress through a sequencing path. Many elements are available that make play sequencing an engaging attraction. One can start with a range of bubblers and water-weaving features to create visually interesting patterns, which draw users into the splash pad without the fear of being confronted with a lot of water all at once.
Inclusive play recognizes the need for different “zones” within the splash pad, ensuring safe enjoyment for users of all ages in both independent and interactive ways. Some areas are designed for full soaking, others for light splashing, and zones with water cannons cater to high-energy participants such as teenagers. Along the edges, quieter spaces are available for those who prefer solitary play.
Sustainable Systems
Water is a finite resource in many communities. To support conservation, this particular splash pad is equipped with a recirculating filtration system that ensures efficient water use, reliable distribution and consistent performance across all aquatic play features.
This system not only promotes sustainability through water reuse but also enhances the safety and functionality of the aquatic play space. The recirculation system ensures that all splash pad features maintain adequate water pressure while conserving water.
In the past, many cities chose flow-through systems, also known as single-pass or drain-to-waste designs, when constructing public water features, partly because their upfront costs were lower than those of recirculating systems. Today, with greater emphasis on water conservation, more municipalities are converting to recirculating systems to reduce overall water use.
Splash pads with recirculating systems operate much like pools, using chemicals, filters and pumps to maintain water quality. Water is supplied to the play area from a holding tank sized at approximately four to five times the system’s flow rate.
In addition to the pumps, filters, chemical feed and sanitation elements needed to treat the water, recirculation systems include a main drain to collect all water and send it to the tank and/or waste, and an underground water reservoir tank, prefabricated and pre-plumbed.
The installation also requires a lockable utility cover to keep equipment away from patrons.
Inclusive Fun
This project was a collaborative effort between the Town of Sahuarita, Altitude Recreation, Water Odyssey and AquaWorx. A splash pad or water play area can serve as a gathering place for people of all abilities, ages and backgrounds to relax and connect through the joy of water. Beyond offering fun and adventure, the inherently inclusive design of a splash pad also supports the diverse physical and cognitive needs of the community. The Anamax Park splash pad is more than a place to cool off; it symbolizes community growth, creativity and inclusive play for the town’s residents. RM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sylvia Bucklew is a marketing professional with seven years of experience in the aquatic play equipment manufacturing industry. She is currently the marketing manager at AquaWorx | Fountain People | Water Odyssey.