Los Lunas village staff hope to reopen splash pad in August

LOS LUNAS — Options for aquatic fun have been drying up in Valencia County, most recently with the temporary closure of the popular splash pad in Los Lunas.

On June 5, the Los Lunas Recreation Division announced in a statement that “due to unforeseen compliance issues related to the initial construction of the facility” the splash pad would need to be closed until they get approval from the New Mexico Environmental Department to reopen.

“We understand the inconvenience this may cause to our residents and visitors, especially during the summer season. However, the safety and compliance of our recreational facilities are our top priorities,” the statement read.

Los Lunas Parks and Recreation Director Jason Duran said they are hoping to have the splash pad reopened by August, contingent on an inspection from NMED.

“During a recent review, it was discovered that the construction plans for the splash pad had not been submitted to the (NMED) as required,” the village stated, and Los Lunas staff would need to submit all the necessary applications to “guarantee that all components of the splash pad are in full compliance with current environmental and safety regulations.”

The splash pad was constructed at Daniel Fernandez Memorial Park during the pandemic, officially opening in 2021. Duran said this played a role in the oversight as NMED was understandably more preoccupied with the pandemic.

“During construction, we had checked with (NMED) and whoever was working there (at the time) told us we were good to go,” said Duran. “When this new individual came in, they just needed to double check and confirm some items, so we just have to file the paperwork and go through the process.”

Duran confirmed the closure is not due to any known safety or operational issues.

“All of our chemical processes and everything like that is good, but we just got to make sure we have all the paperwork confirmed through the state,” he said.

To meet compliance requirements, Duran said they added an outdoor rinsing shower, but said that is the only thing they needed to adjust in the area. Now, all that’s left to do is wait for NMED to complete their inspection.

“If it gets inspected any sooner we’ll definitely open it as soon as possible,” he said.