Water Fun in Winnemucca

A Splash Pad Destination

by Sarah Russek, Landscape Structures Inc.

Water Fun in Winnemucca

The 3,500-square-foot splash pad at the Winnemucca Recreation Complex in Winnemucca was designed to be an oasis in the desert of Nevada. Aquatix by Landscape Structures, Inc. partnered with Exerplay Inc.; a planning, design and installation firm headquartered in New Mexico; and the City of Winnemucca to create a play area with water activities for children of all ages. There are 16 water features in total; nine are aboveground and seven are ground spray jets.


Water Fun in Winnemucca

A unique archway with six tubular poles of varying heights, each curving inward, project multiple mist sprays through the passage they create.


Winnemucca Recreation Complex in Winnemucca, Nevada was a project collaboration between the City of Winnemucca and other entities. Winnemucca, located in north-central Nevada, in the southeast corner of Humboldt County, is approximately 9.4 square miles and has a population of about 7,646.

The splash pad was installed in 2018 and covers a total of 3,500 square feet including 2,400 square feet of wet play area. It is a unique feature in the city of Winnemucca - reported to be the first of its kind. The vision of the design was to create a modern-looking space through the layout and equipment utilized.

The location also influenced the planning process. Located near a Boys and Girls Club, and surrounded by youth soccer fields, an adult fitness area, and a brand-new playground, Winnemucca Recreation Complex provides a community gathering space with multiple activities for children and families.

For the Older Kids
The splash pad specifically includes activities for both young and old. The City collarboated with Exerplay and Aquatix by Landscape Structures, Inc., and included in the design is a dynamic zone which is aimed at providing fun for children seven years old and up. The goal is to provide continual excitement and interaction to keep these growing visitors busy. High volume and highly interactive features are especially important for this age group.

The VersoSplash® drops gallons of water onto the kids below. This area is meant to provide a sense of excitement and the thrill of the unexpected as the bucket dumps water in the opposite direction while the water spills forward.



Water Fun in Winnemucca

The VersoSplash® drops 35-gallon buckets of water splashing off the acrylic deflector plate onto the kids below. The feature is 15' 7" tall, and the bucket dumps at a height of 12 1/2 feet.


Water Fun in Winnemucca

The colorful fiberglass has six arch jets that engage toddlers in water play. The splash zone is 4 feet in diameter, and the standard flow rate is 5 to 10 GPM. Also located on the Winnemucca splash pad is a similarly equipped ladybug.


Included in this area is the CanopyTrio, which extends two arms of continuous water showers that splash in different directions while a third arm slowly fills before pouring the bucket of water onto kids below. The added acrylic panels provide distinctive design while casting cool shadows. This component is part of a full family of canopy structures, with the CanopyCluster being the largest and the CanopyDuo the smallest.

For the Little Ones
The gentle activity zone includes fun for a younger crowd of infants and toddlers and aids in learning to enjoy texture and water through gentle aqua play. Close proximity to the perimeter of the play area with dry zones allow for close supervision by adults, as well as easy interaction for play between parents and kids.

For little ones to learn more about cause and effect, the WellSpring spouts continuous streams of water around the perimeter of the curved post that can be controlled by little fingers or hands blocking the streams to build pressure in the other streams.

All ages can explore water play together with the JetStream. Users pull the plunger to fill the chamber and push to release a stream of water, tagging friends both close and far away.

All these pieces are designed to work in harmony to provide a space that will be able to entertain and cool off a wide variety of children who may be coming from nearby activities or attractions. The modern, user-friendly Winnemucca splash pad will continue to be a destination for Nevada residents for years to come.



As seen in LASN magazine, July 2019.



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