We’ve been enjoying the new Lansdowne Town Center that just opened this summer. We live nearby, so we appreciate the convenience of the new Harris Teeter grocery store. Some of the restaurants are very good, especially Not Your Average Joe’s, and having a Starbucks within spitting distance is key when I need a coffee fix. The kids love the fountains that form the centerpiece of the Town Green area in the middle of the Town Center.

The fountains are clearly designed with children in mind; they spray water out from the ground at fluctuating heights. If you went there on a weeknight this summer, you would have seen dozens of kids running around the fountain in wet shorts and bathing suits. During the outdoor concerts the concrete seats on the perimeter were crammed with parents watching their happy splashers. Even my ten-month-old had a blast sitting by a spout and touching the water as it rose and fell.

Imagine my dismay when I went with friends to play in the fountain the other day and encountered this sign:

This sounded a little sketchy to me, so I called the Loudoun County Health Department. I talked to John Connell, who explained that the fountains are, indeed, a health code violation. The fountains use recirculated water, so anything that goes down the drain will come up again through the spouts. That could include nastiness like grass runoff, diaper material (think e coli), dropped food, or dog do.

::sigh:: I am bummed.

We had a great time in the fountains this summer, and now every time we drive by the fountains I’ll be reminded of the fun we once had. I really hate the fact that I agree with the health department that playing in dirty water is a little gross, and I wish I could go back to the days of blissful ignorance. In my day, we played in poopy water and we liked it! It built character!

I think I’ll turn my anger on the designers of the fountain; couldn’t they have foreseen and prevented this problem? Surely they’ll be bummed that the fountains won’t be such a draw for the retail businesses.

Also, while I’m complaining, what’s the deal with the anemic-looking fountains facing Route 7? They aren’t very attractive, they aren’t evenly spaced, and they’re NEVER the same height.

I guess I’ll dust the cobwebs off our Dora sprinkler and drag out the garden hose. Oh, the hardships that we endure!