Since the opening of Plaza de la Cultura in San José, the children are jumping and enjoying the jets of water that flow from it.
By this time of the week, 4 days after the opening, parents even take clothes an towels to change the little ones when they finish playing.
But how clean is this water? Are there risks of contracting any diseases?
The water that comes out of the jets is very clean and has the necessary purification systems to prevent the spread of diseases.
This was assured by Rafael Marín, architect of the Central Bank who was in charge of remodeling Plaza de la Cultura.
The fountain works like a pool… It has all the filtration systems of a pool, in terms of chlorine, anti-fungal, anti-algae, but that does not mean that it can be drank,”
explained Marín.
It uses 35,000 liters of water that will be changed twice a year, according to the initial design.
However, due to the effect of the ash fall from Turrialba volcano, it is being evaluated if it is necessary to change it more frequently.
It would need to be changed if they dumped some kind of soap or something similar,”
added Marín.
On the other hand, it is ruled out that homeless people use the fountain to shower, since it is only open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., all the time is under surveillance.