Why spraygrounds aren't to blame for our water crisis
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Des Moines' 18 municipal spraygrounds each use just over 33,000 gallons of water daily on average during full summer hours, according to city estimates.
Why it matters: Spraygrounds offer free, accessible relief during hot Iowa summers and have long been viewed as a public health measure.
- They were temporarily shut down earlier this month to help alleviate the metro's crisis in removing enough nitrates from water to meet daily demands.
Catch up quickly: Central Iowa Water Works (CIWW) issued the metro's first mandatory lawn watering ban on June 12, with cities like DSM, WDM, Johnston and Urbandale reducing hours or shutting down some aquatic facilities so the utility can continue to meet drinking water needs.
State of play: Overall demand across the CIWW network dropped about 33% just days after the ban.
- Cities began restoring sprayground hours late last week after CIWW confirmed the system's capacity to support it.
Stunning stat: Splash pads across the CIWW network use less than a million gallons of water per day, while lawn watering can consume more than 40 million, according to the utility.
- Most spraygrounds operate using timers or sensors so they don't run when they are not in use, per DSM Parks and Recreation.
What's next: It's still unclear how long restrictions will last.
- Nitrate levels in the DSM and Raccoon rivers, which supply most of the metro's water, remain high, and the lawn watering ban is still in effect.
If you go: DSM's current sprayground hours are noon-6pm daily — five fewer hours than normal.