The popular interactive water play feature at Library Park that was turned off for four years during the drought before limited use was allowed in 2017 will have a slightly more robust operation this year.
The water play feature will be available for use on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from noon to 7:30 p.m. starting May 25 and ending Sept. 3.
“This will allow us to have it open during key times and still conserve water,” noted City Manager Tim Ogden.
Last summer the water play feature was turned on between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as well as during the Manteca Chamber of Commerce’s Music and Market in the Park on Tuesdays between 5 and 8 p.m.
The $450,000 water play feature that was the major element in the $1.2 million expansion and renovation of Library Park was turned off six years ago the second year into California’s severe drought emergency that Gov. Jerry Brown declared over in March of 2017.
It is likely to continue to have limited operations in the coming years given there is a $500,000 price tag to upgrade the feature with a recirculation water system as were employed when similar features were put in place in Ripon and Lathrop due to new health and safety standards put in place since 2010.
In 2009, the water play feature dumped 2 million gallons of water into the city’s storm drain. Based on Manteca’s per capital daily water consumption of 139 gallons what the water play feature used in 2009 was enough to meet the annual water needs of 40 Manteca residents.