TOLEDO, Ohio — The Rev. H.V. Savage Park splash pad will reopen on Monday because the city believes it is in compliance with water pressure laws, according to Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz. Heather Burnette, a spokesperson for the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, said she is unaware of anything planned for Monday.
Burnette said TLCHD wants to ensure "any repairs or plans that the City of Toledo wants to implement are approved by an engineer to be in compliance with laws and regulations."
The city says it has been working to fix 10 issues TLCHD found in order to reopen the central Toledo park's splash pad after it was closed due to not being in compliance with Makennas' Law, which was enacted in April of 2023 to change the maximum water velocity out of nozzles of water fixtures.
According to a press release Friday, the health department said the splash pad's spray height was roughly 10 feet, and anything above 6.21 feet exceeds the maximum velocity allowed. High velocity water can cause injury to those using the splash pad, including children and the elderly.
Joe Fausnaugh, Toledo's director of parks and youth services, says there is a $2 million grant proposal to build a new splash pad at Savage Park, which will be decided in November.
Residents nearby the park have told WTOL 11 they are frustrated by the splash pad being closed, especially during last week's heat wave that saw sweltering temperatures in the mid and upper 90s.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include information from a Toledo-Lucas County Health Department press release.
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