Splash park in DC shut down due to sewage problems

Turtle Park, home to the splash pad with reports of sewage contamination, is located at 45th and Van Ness Streets Northwest. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
Turtle Park, home to the splash pad with reports of sewage contamination, is located near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Van Ness Street Northwest. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
A pool service company is in the park on Tuesday, June 19, to work on fixing the sewage issue. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
A pool service company is in the park on Tuesday, June 19, to work on fixing the sewage issue. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
The splash pad, which normally sprays water for children to play in, has been closed while officials try to fix the reports of sewage contamination in the water. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
The splash pad, which normally sprays water for children to play in, has been closed while officials try to fix the reports of sewage contamination in the water. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
One parent, who wishes to remain unnamed, took his child to cool off in the splash park on June 19, unaware that it was closed until he saw the sign. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
One parent, who wishes to remain unnamed, took his child to cool off in the splash park on June 19, unaware that it was closed until he saw the sign. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
(1/4)
Turtle Park, home to the splash pad with reports of sewage contamination, is located at 45th and Van Ness Streets Northwest. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
A pool service company is in the park on Tuesday, June 19, to work on fixing the sewage issue. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
The splash pad, which normally sprays water for children to play in, has been closed while officials try to fix the reports of sewage contamination in the water. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
One parent, who wishes to remain unnamed, took his child to cool off in the splash park on June 19, unaware that it was closed until he saw the sign. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
One parent, who wishes to remain unnamed, took his child to cool off in the splash park on June 19, unaware that it was closed until he saw the sign. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)

WASHINGTON — Turtle Park, located near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Van Ness Street in Northwest, D.C., has closed its spray park due to sewage problems.

Councilwoman Mary Cheh said complaints of the park smelling like sewage started in May, and multiple children have experienced vomiting after using the park.

Cheh said she asked the Department of Health and the Department of General Services to intervene. Officials believed mulch dropping into the pad was causing the problem, so a strainer was installed, but the smell returned last Friday, according to parents.

The spray park was closed on Tuesday, June 19 while a pool service company attempts to fix the issue. It is expected to remain closed until the issue is resolved.

On social media, a parent said her son got an eye infection after playing in the water at the park.

One parent, who wishes to remain unnamed, told WTOP’s Melissa Howell that he took his child to cool off in the splash park on June 19, unaware that it was closed until he saw the sign.

Melissa Howell

Melissa Howell joined WTOP Radio in March 2018 and is excited to cover stories that matter across D.C., as well as in Maryland and Virginia. 

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up