What disinfects splash pad water?

Chlorine remains the workhorse of splash pad disinfection. Operators add liquid sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite tablets through automatic feeders that maintain residual at 1-3 ppm, similar to a community pool. Chlorine kills most bacteria and viruses within minutes but is poor against Cryptosporidium and Giardia, which can survive for days in chlorinated water. To address that gap, modern pads layer in secondary disinfection: UV light reactors deactivate parasites and viruses as water cycles through, while ozone generators inject oxidizing gas that handles tougher pathogens. A few pads use bromine instead of chlorine in indoor settings because it's more stable in warm water. Salt-chlorine generators and copper/silver ionization see occasional use but rarely replace traditional chlorination at public installations.