Water features make a splash

While Clark County no longer boasts any outdoor public pools, splash pads have become an increasingly popular and cost-effective substitute for kids to cool down in the summer.

Vancouver Waterfront Park, Esther Short Park, Klineline Pond in Salmon Creek Regional Park, La Center’s Holley Park and others have splash pads, spots for water play with little or no standing water. Camas and Washougal plan to open ones in the future.

“Summers are getting warmer, and we’re hearing from the community that safe, accessible opportunities for water recreation are increasingly a priority,” Kaley McLachlan-Burton, spokeswoman for Clark County Public Works, wrote in an email. “Splash pads are great water/cooling facilities for the community because, unlike the sandy or rocky shores of a river, pond or lake, the surface is accessible to wheelchair users and others with limited mobility.”

The county receives residents’ feedback through the Parks, Recreation and Open Space plan surveys, McLachlan-Burton said, and requests for public, outdoor pools have gone by the wayside.

“We do know that public pools rarely break even; it is very difficult for public pools to generate enough revenue from usage fees to cover their operating costs,” she said.

Public pools require lifeguards, heating, treatment, use fees and more to operate, whereas splash pads use less water and don’t require lifeguards. Additionally, most modern splash pads treat and recirculate water and turn on with a press of a button, which saves energy, McLachlan-Burton said.

Currently, the splash pad at Klineline Pond is closed for repairs. The county does not yet know when it’ll reopen, McLachlan-Burton said.

The city of Vancouver recently turned on Esther Short’s splash pad after construction on the Salmon Run Bell Tower concluded.

The city of La Center compromised with a splash pad at Holley Park after residents requested a water park. La Center’s Public Works and Community Development Director Tracy Coleman said a water park was unrealistic for the city’s size given the expense.

She said it costs about $8,000 a year to operate the splash pad. It’s operated on a push timer for two-minute intervals to save on water, which is fresh, not recycled.

“It is busy all the time from the day it opens to the day we close,” Coleman said. “We have people sitting waiting for us to turn it on at 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.”

Splash pads remain in high demand, McLachlan-Burton said, and will be incorporated into “future park updates, projects and development initiatives.”

The Washougal Towncenter Revitalization project includes adding a splash pad, among other outdoor features.

When Camas’ public pool was removed in Crown Park, residents asked for a water feature, said Bryan Rachal, the city’s spokesman. A splash pad is just one aspect of the city’s $6.3 million park remodeling project and is slated to open in spring 2026.

“We just thought it would be a neat feature to add to the park,” Rachal said. “We’re hopeful that it’ll be quite the draw for parents and others as well.”

Brianna Murschel: 360-735-4534; [email protected]