How do splash pads handle water restrictions?

Water restriction response depends on how the pad is plumbed and how serious the drought stage is. Stage 1 restrictions usually leave splash pads open with no changes since they're community amenities. Stage 2 often triggers reduced operating hours and mandatory push-button activators that cap each cycle at 60-120 seconds. Stage 3 can close flow-through pads entirely while leaving recirculating pads running. Stage 4 emergency drought sometimes shuts every aquatic facility, including pools. Cities like San Antonio, Austin, Phoenix, and most California municipalities have written drought response plans that spell out exactly which pads close at which stage. Recirculating pads with cisterns sometimes get exemptions because their daily makeup water is roughly equivalent to a household irrigation system.