Science
(2009-07-27)
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The wading pool at Van Asselt Playground in south Seattle is open this summer. Nearly a dozen in the city are closed.
Photo by Paula Wissel
With temperatures climbing into the 90's, there's nothing better than a dip in the pool. But in a lot of Seattle neighborhoods, a kid looking for a wading pool to cool off in is out of luck. Nearly half of the city's wading pools are closed.
Contrary to what you might think, it isn't because of city budget cuts.
The reason is a federal law called the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. It was signed into law in December 2008. It requires that new drain covers be put in pools, including wading pools, so that swimmers don't get sucked into the drains.
At Powell Barnett Park in the Central Area of Seattle, Mike Levine is handing out free lunches as part of the city's summer feeding program to help low income families. There's almost no one around. His station is set up next to one of the empty wading pools. Last year, he says, when the pool was filled, "It was crazy with kids."
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