Playing It Safe

May 7, 2008

About the author: Beth Marcello is a writer for PR Writing, Inc. Marcello can be reached at 412.381.8227 or by e-mail at [email protected].

When vacationers flock to the White Water theme park in Branson, Mo., it is not uncommon for the midsummer afternoon temperature to reach 100ºF. Cooling off and having fun is the first thing on visitors’ minds. But what Jon Williams, operations manager for White Water, is most interested in is the safety of the guests who enter the park.

The team at White Water is responsible for the safety of the park’s dozen water rides and attractions. “Safety is our first priority,” Williams said. “Ride safety, including water quality, is one of the most important aspects of our job.”

White Water’s staff manually tests each pool every hour. The visual readings are then compared to each pool’s automated controller, a device manufactured by Pittsburgh-based ProMinent Fluid Control. The controllers measure, monitor and control five chemical variables used in the sanitation of water: free chlorine, combined chlorine, pH, temperature and oxidation reduction potential. They also factor in “bather load”—the chemical variations that occur when there are 300 versus 1,300 swimmers in the pool.

Erring on the Side of Caution

Maintaining the safety of the water in a park that spans nearly 15 acres is no small feat, and at White Water, redundant processes offer peace of mind. Although Regional Sales Manager Greg Campbell says that the controllers will monitor up to 16 sites, White Water has installed a separate unit at each attraction based on two factors: the park’s physical expanse and management’s desire to err on the side of caution.

The operations staff also continues to manually sample and read each pool’s water quality hourly, even though the Dulcometer disinfection controllers feature a local area network connection that allows technicians to monitor water quality online from any computer with Internet access.

Another valued feature of the controllers is a memory card that stores data on the water quality of the pools it controls. Each card serves as a permanent record of an entire season. “The stability of our controllers together with the chemical pumps from ProMinent help us ensure guest safety,” Williams said.

“ProMinent’s pumps are designed and built to be easy for customers to install, use, control and maintain, but we also understand that every application has unique characteristics,” Campbell said. “For White Water, a regional representative based in nearby Dallas, Texas, was easily accessible with advice and solutions, not only during the installation phase but on an ongoing basis.”

“When we installed the new pumps and controllers, ProMinent was great to work with. Their technical support with their equipment and with water quality questions was great,” Williams noted.

The Next Wave

Despite White Water’s reliable new controllers and stringent backup manual monitoring processes and procedures, the park’s management is always looking for ways to improve their great safety record. To further ensure guest safety, the staff is working with ProMinent on the phased implementation of an ultraviolet (UV) system to help sanitize pool water using UV light.

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About the Author

Beth Marcello

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