What you’re seeing shouldn’t be happening. The water at the Charlestown Navy Yard Spray Park is running day and night. Hank discovered this problem a year ago, and alerted the City of Boston. So why is money and water still going down the drain? Hank investigates.
Why is this water still on?
This splash pad, which cost the Boston Redevelopment Authority $250,000, gushes water when it shouldn’t be.
What’s more, we first found this last year! The kid-magnet aqua-attraction in the Charlestown Navy Yard is designed to be fun, but to also prevent wasted water by only spraying on demand.
When you push a button, the water comes on. After a few minutes, the water is supposed to automatically shut off, but that was the problem. It didn’t go off.
We took video night after night. The place was empty, with no one pushing buttons. We told the B.R.A. about it, but the water stayed on until they shut it down after Labor Day.
Spray Park Goer: "That’s definitely a waste of water."
Yes, it is, and this summer, it was not fixed. The water was on. In June, July and August, a year later, water is still gushing 24/7, including when it was deserted, raining, cold, windy and in the middle of the night. There was no one pressing any buttons.
Hank: "We were so surprised after telling you last year that it didn’t work to see it was still broken this year. Why was the water on all the time?"
Nick Martin, Boston Redevelopment Authority: "We fully admit there have been some mechanical issues with it."
And they just can’t seem fix the issues. We keep watching, and the water stays on.
Hank: "How can that be?"
Nick Martin: "We regret it was running overnight. That’s not something that we like. Nobody wants to pay for water that isn’t going to good use."
So instead, the City will now pay for something else.
Nick Martin: "We’re hiring a new staff person and making sure that person is fully trained so they can check in on it regularly."
Will that work? Stay tuned, and if you see it on when it shouldn’t be, call City Hall. Of course, we’ll be watching too.