FINAL_FW2607-08_DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 70
BUSINESS RESOURCES | MAINTENANCE
Keeping It Clean
How Aquatic Attractions Maintain Sanitation
Sophie Brookover
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FEW EVENTS STRIKE HORROR IN THE HEARTS OF WATER
PARKS OPERATORS faster than a code brown. Fortunately, by
following stringent safety regulations with sanitation technology
and chemistry, guests and operators alike can enjoy a high degree
of confidence. Days spent in basin-style lagoons, water slides,
surf parks, and classic swimming pools won’t be disrupted by
unsanitary conditions with a little planning.
Field leaders from WhiteWater and Martin Aquatics spoke
with Funworld about the latest developments in ensuring safe
conditions at water attractions of all kinds, from state-of-the-art
filtration systems to flocculent control and chemical standards of
quality.
All innovations in aquatic-attraction sanitation are based
on advances in the field of wastewater treatment. Once
those technologies or chemistry applications move past the
experimental development phase and “become competitive in
terms of its costing, they come to market as some types of new
products within the aquatics industry,” says WhiteWater Sales
Engineer Evan Forman.
Widespread adoption of newer technologies has reduced the
Funworld | JULY/AUGUST 2026 | IAAPA.org/Funworld
incidence of chemical burns suffered at
swimming pools. When this happens,
“it’s usually going to be at an older
facility that’s using older distribution
methods,” leading to spikes in chlorine
concentration. Forman notes that the
burns result from “considerations of the
mitigation of certain risks, alongside
the outcomes and the severity of those
outcomes,” says Forman. Therefore,
operators should devise a risk mitigation
protocol that fits their budget and staffing
parameters.
With the advent of more advanced,
higher precision sanitation products,
delivery systems, and technologies from
companies like Pulsar and Clearflow,
aquatic attractions designers and operators
have more sophisticated options than
ever to select from. As is so often the case,
upgrades to systems like Pulsar’s offer “a
higher level of control in the release of
its chlorine, relative to where you have
to measure it, treat it, and watch it filter
through,” Forman explains, elaborating
that these filters “and the way that they
break down the chlorine, it’s more or less
ensuring that the infusion of the treated
water is consistent.” Pulsar’s delivery
systems rely on Calcium Hypochlorite
(Cal Hypo) briquettes rather than liquid
chlorine.
Sometimes a classic method is the
most appropriate choice for a project. Josh
Martin, president and creative director at
Martin Aquatics, notes that each project
is unique, so “how you design your water
treatment system is based on what the
necessary support services are around you.
We might use liquid chlorine on a project
in Orlando because it can be delivered
in bulk. Or we might use a version of a
salt-pouring generator with rock salt on
a cruise ship or island.” This is because
the product can be shipped in and stored
easily, and it doesn’t degrade over time.
Every facility—and each facility type—
follows its own safety standards for the
wide variety of potential fecal incidents,
Martin adds. Since his company works
on so many high-volume projects, “we
