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Jed Boal ReportingFountains, waterfalls and ponds are becoming quite popular in Utah. Keeping them safe is the challenge.
Apartments have them. Businesses have them. Now they're one of the hottest trends for homes.
We love the water, and the sound of a fountain is soothing. But can they be safe?
Gary Mangini and his family live on Little Cottonwood Creek. That's plenty to worry about with two young boys.
Scott Poderick/Second Nature Landscape Service: "How often am I going to have to watch my kids? We set up a boundary for one."
Add to that, the family built a fountain.
Scott Poderick/Second Nature Landscape Service: "We didn't want a lot of sharp rocks, because you know they're going to climb on them and we didn't want it to be deep."
But, their landscaper told them he could make the fountain reasonably safe. Scott Poderick keeps kids in mind when designing a fountain. If it's in the back yard, fence it in.
Scott Poderick/Second Nature Landscape Service: "I would like to think of a child being able to turn their head and breathe if they get into this type of situation."
Jed Boal/Eyewitness News: "There are about 100 gallons of water moving through this fountain system. But it's not a deep pond at the base. Most of the water is stored underground in tanks and circulated up through the fountain. That way, there's not a deep pool where a child can get into trouble."
At a pool, people are alert for the dangers of drowning. With ponds and fountains, safety experts say that's not necessarily the case. We associate them with beauty, not danger.
Sharon Hines-Stringer/Safe Kids Utah Coordinator: "They love to play in water, but there's a danger any time a child is unsupervised around water. There's a danger of drowning."
And the interest in fountains and pools won't likley cool.
Scott Poderick/Second Nature Landscape Service: "Requests for water features have gone up 100 percent this year."
Regulations for pools vary across the state. And the safety specialist says all ponds and pools can be made safer.
