What You Need to Know About the Reopening of Spray Parks in El Paso

UPDATE 6/29: Due to a surge in COVID-19 infections, the City of El Paso has postponed the reopening as a precaution until a date to be determined later.

El Pasoans will get some relief from the summer heat, after all.

Restrictions on the use of certain city facilities and services that were imposed in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus are being relaxed as the city continues to transition from COVID crisis to COVID coexistence, and spray parks are the next city run amenities to get the phased-in approach to reopening,

Here is what will be different and what you need to know about their reopening:

• Open to the public beginning Wednesday, July 1
• Days of operation will be Tuesdays through Sundays
• The water-splashing fun will be broken up into two segments: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• There will be an extended cleaning break between segments to ensure proper hygiene, and staff will conduct enhanced cleaning on Mondays.

Since their opening three years ago, city spray parks have quickly become a destination place for family picnics and daily outings. There are a total of 8 scattered throughout El Paso, one in each of the City Reps Districts.

Splash pads were one of the amenities that two months ago were given no chance of reopening anytime in the foreseeable future because of the pandemic's effect on the city's budget. Although the financial situation hasn't changed, city officials made the decision to bite the bullet and reopen some quality of life services to maintain good mental health, according to a city press release.

A handful of library branches and the El Paso Zoo are also scheduled to reopen in the coming days.