Fort Worth has one splash pad, far fewer than major Texas cities. Why? | Fort Worth Report (2024)

Giggles and squeals erupted as children ran through water spouts at Sycamore Spray Ground on a recent sweltering day.

“I shower under the water. I play. I run,” 4-year-old Maleni Jackson said, smiling as she caught her breath.

As Jackson enjoyed the refreshing water, she did not know she was playing in Fort Worth’s only public splash pad — far fewer than other Texas cities. The city has not built a splash pad in 16 years because Sycamore Spray Ground was a trial for splash pads, said Scott Penn, senior capital project officer for Fort Worth parks and recreation.

“We wanted to construct the splash pad to see how they are received in Fort Worth,” Penn said. “We’ve gotten decent feedback.”

Sycamore Spray Ground cost over $800,000 when it was built as part of the city’s 2008 aquatic master plan, Penn said. In comparison, the renovation of Forest Park Pool cost $15 million.

Splash pads are recreational areas with water features, no standing water and constantly have their water treated, said Cory Stuhmer, Fort Worth aquatics coordinator. Sycamore Spray Ground recycles water after it is sanitized with chemicals and ultraviolet light.

Splash pads are cheaper than pools because they do not have to be staffed, Stuhmer said.

Staffing for the Forest Park Pool costs around $178,000 a year, Stuhmer said. The maintenance cost for the Forest Park Pool is around $93,011 while Sycamore Spray Ground is around $12,514 but can vary depending on equipment breaking, he said.

Other large Texas cities have more splash pads than Fort Worth:

• Houston has 27
• Dallas has 17
• Austin has 10
• San Antonio has 7

Nearby Haltom City has two splash pads, and uses the same master plan process as Fort Worth to determine the number and location of splash pads.

Christi Pruitt, director of parks and recreation for Haltom City, attributed two reasons for the city having more splash pads than its larger neighbor: Haltom City’s lack of public pools as well as cheaper building and maintenance costs of splash pads.

The building and maintenance costs of Haltom City splash pads are significantly lower than Fort Worth. The water used in the splash pads is not recycled so there are no expenses from chemicals and sanitizing equipment. The splash pad’s water comes from recycled and treated water, the same system that irrigates landscapes and fills pools.

The Broadway Park splash pad cost around $175,000 to build and no more than $1,000 a year to maintain, excluding unforeseen repairs and breaks, Pruitt said.

Haltom City’s second splash pad at Whites Branch Park has the same building and maintenance costs as Broadway Park, Pruitt said. The recent resurfacing at Whites Branch Park cost around $28,000, she said.

Haltom City does not have any public pools so the community’s need for aquatic amenities is satisfied through splash pads, Pruitt said.

“The splash pads are used nonstop,” Pruitt said. “There is someone on them almost every single hour of every single day during the operation hours and days.”

Fort Worth may add more splash pads in the future.

Whether or not another splash pad is built will be determined through the aquatic master plan process, Penn said. The city will use data and feedback collected from Sycamore Spray Ground to make decisions for the 2025 aquatic master plan, he said.

The Fort Worth aquatic master plan will be part of the 2025 Park, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan update and is expected to be completed by September or October 2025, Penn said.

“We will have to see what people’s highest priority is and we will take our cues from that,” Penn said.

Fort Worth resident Elizabeth Morales regularly visits the Sycamore Spray Ground with her three children who are 4 and younger.

“I really love that it’s in the neighborhood, so I can easily gather the kids up and take them out for a little,” Morales said.

Morales sees splash pads as a safer alternative to pools.

“They are not going to drown and can cool off because it has been really, really hot,” Morales said.

She rocked her baby to sleep and kept him cool under a canopy as she watched her toddlers sprint and splash.

Georgie London is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at georgie.london@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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