Safety Tips for a Fun and Safe Pool Season – Outdoor Pools Open May 25!
Pool season is upon us, and Prince William County Parks and Recreation wants you and your loved ones to have a fun and safe summer pool season. May is also National Water Safety Month, a great time to review safety tips and reminders to teach everyone to respect the water and be smart when swimming.
While all of our pools and water parks have highly-trained lifeguards on duty, it is still important for both children and adults to learn to swim.
“It is so important to learn how to swim because those skills can save your life or someone else’s,” says Prince William County Parks’ Water Safety Instructor, Aniyah Henderson.
According to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, there are approximately 4,012 unintentional drowning deaths each year, and drowning is the single leading cause of death for children ages 1-4, and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children up to age 14. Drowning is fast and silent and can happen in as little as 20-60 seconds.
In addition to knowing how to swim, the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s “Pool Safely” website recommends that you always supervise children in or near water—never leave them unattended. Learning CPR is also recommended. You can view more of their safety tips here.
Pools and Water Parks Open May 25
Prince William County Parks’ community pools and water parks will open this Saturday, May 25. We have three outdoor community pools, plus Veterans Park pool which is an outdoor pool with a twisting waterslide, and two water parks—Waterworks Waterpark and SplashDown Waterpark.
Know Before You Go
Please note the following rules for all of our pools and water parks:
- Proper swim attire is required in all pools. The intent of enforcing a swim attire policy is to maintain a clean, safe and inviting environment for our patrons. Clothing, other than swimwear, can create problems with water clarity, disinfectant systems and filtration. Prince William County Parks and Recreation staff have the right to deny anyone use of pools for non-approved swimwear.
- You will not be permitted to swim unless you are in a bathing suit. T-shirts, cut-off shorts, sport shorts, or women’s undergarments DO NOT constitute proper swimming attire. There are NO exceptions to this rule.
- At both water parks, no outside food or snacks are allowed inside the water parks.
- Guests are allowed to bring one (1) unopened 20 oz. bottle of water per guest into the waterpark.
- Guests may bring baby food, formula and milk but only in plastic containers.
- Outside food and beverages are permitted at community pools.
We encourage you to review complete rules as well as answers to frequently asked questions about our water parks before your visit. Please visit the respective websites for SplashDown and Waterworks. You can also view hours of operation, pricing, scheduled events and more. For more information on our outdoor community pools, click here.
Prince William County Parks wishes you an enjoyable and safe summer pool season! We hope to see you in the water!
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