Ohio now requires inspections of 'splash pads'

COLUMBUS (AP) — New rules for this summer are meant to ensure the safety of Ohio “splash pads,” those areas at parks and retail centers where spurts of water from the ground entertain children and help adults cool off.

As of April 1, the state now requires local health agencies to inspect and license splash pads, also known as spray parks. The Columbus Dispatch reports the inspections must find the water is filtered and treated to keep it clean.

By next spring, the attractions will need signs instructing people not to drink the water and to stay out of it if they have diarrhea.

The newspaper reports a spray park in New York was linked to an outbreak of a parasitic illness that causes diarrhea and vomiting. About 4,000 people got sick.