Spray parks will operate on slightly reduced schedule

Stacey Shepard, The Bakersfield Californian
·2 min read

May 14—Spray parks in Bakersfield will open in just under two weeks but operate on a slightly reduced schedule as a precautionary measure due to drought conditions.

The city of Bakersfield's spray parks will open Saturday, May 29, and run from 1 to 6 p.m. daily, Tuesday through Sunday, city spokesman Joseph Conroy said. The city's spray parks will be closed on Mondays to conserve water except on three occasions: Memorial Day, which is May 31, July 5, part of the Independence Day weekend, and on Labor Day, Sept. 6.

North of the River Recreation and Parks District will turn on its spray parks Friday, May 28 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

District marketing director Lisa Plank said this year's hours reflect a 10 percent reduction over last summer to conserve water.

"The NOR spray parks operate on a timer system that does not allow for continuous water run off and are set up on French drain systems, which allow for the water to percolate back into the ground and not into the sewer system," Plank said in an email.

So far there have been no state or local mandates issued to reduce water use. But the spray parks may have to adjust operation mid-season if mandates are issued.

The city closed spray parks in late July 2014 and throughout all of 2015 due to prolonged drought and state-mandated water cuts. Their opening was delayed in 2020 by a couple of weeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to California's worsening water outlook Monday by adding Kern and 38 other counties to a drought emergency declaration last month that has loosened restrictions on water transfers and could potentially send more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Central Valley farmers and households.