Now that Summer’s (kind of) on the way (for approx. half the globe) what better time to think about mucking around in an interactive fountain? Before you do, however, you could read Issue 1, Vol. 2 of The Wave, published by the US Govt. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“There is no standing water in the attraction so the water shouldn’t get contaminated, right? Wrong.
A 1999 outbreak of diarrheal illness affected 44% of patrons (an estimated 4800 people) who visited a new local interactive water fountain in a beachside park.”
As a specific example, here’s a cautionary note (also from CDC) about a Shigella sonnei and Cryptosporidium parvum outbreak at an Interactive Water Fountain in Florida. And solving such problems is not always straightforward – because chemical additives can produce potentially harmful disinfection byproducts (DBPs) THE DYNAMICS OF VOLATILE DISINFECTION BY PRODUCTS IN INDOOR, CHLORINATED SWIMMING POOLS – HEAVY USE CONDITIONS
Also see: Wee mathematics in Portland, Oregon