Elmhurst Park

Elmhurst Park, also known as Gas Tank Park, is in the Elmhurst neighborhood of New York City’s borough of Queens. Elmhurst Park is a six-acre recreational area featuring a decorative interactive  fountain, a playground, trees and landscaping, walking paths and benches.  The open space was created as part of an ongoing program to reclaim former industrial land for recreational use by area residents.

Elmhurst Park Splash Pad Challenge

This project was the first in the city to comply with new Department of Health (DOH) standards, which required that 100 percent of the recirculating water for interactive fountains pass through a third-party validated ultraviolet (UV) light chamber. To comply, Delta Fountains had to design two advanced capabilities: the ability to isolate the collector tank in the event of fecal contamination, and a method to drain the contaminated water without having to drain the entire collector tank. The project also became more complex with the need to incorporate multiple vaults: equipment, collector, filter and water quality, chemical crock, and contaminant isolation.

New York Splash Park Solutions

In order to limit the possibility of contamination in both areas, Delta Fountains separated the small children’s feature from the area used by older children with the use of high speed ⅜-inch solenoid valves. Automatic dump valves were added to recirculate the display water in a closed loop warm-up system, which ensures the water will receive the correct UV dosage before it is returned to areas accessed by people. Added filtration measures included the use of a National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) approved floating skimmer and ultrasonic flow meters, which provide the utmost accuracy in determining the precise turnover rate of filtration. To prevent tampering, Delta Fountains added vandal-proof vent stacks constructed from powder-coated black stainless steel and vandal-proof hatches with recessed lockable compartments. For both areas, in-ground effects were used to create contrasting displays.