PALMDALE – The City of Palmdale’s DryTown Water Park will celebrate its 10th year of operations when it opens for the 2015 season at 11 a.m. this Saturday, May 23.
“It’s hard to believe that it’s been decade now that DryTown’s been open,” said DryTown Manager Eric Dombrowski. “They say time flies when you’re having fun, and there’s no better place for fun in the summer than at DryTown!”
As part of the opening celebration weekend, the City of Palmdale will unveil the winning entry in its third annual “Walk on Words” Poetry Contest. Selected from more than 50 entries on the topic of summer fun, the winning poem will be stamped in concrete at the water park and the winner will take home a family 4-pack of DryTown season passes.
“Our season passes are the way to go because they’re such a great value,” Dombrowski said. “With a season pass, you have unlimited use of DryTown, free admission to the popular ‘Sundown at DryTown’ events held Friday evenings during the summer and free admission to our special themed events.”
Customers who purchase a season pass between now and Friday, May 22, will also receive a free single day admission.
DryTown will be open Saturday, May 23, through Monday, May 25, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will also be open Wednesday, May 28, and daily beginning May 30 through Aug. 9. From Aug. 15 to Sept. 13 the park will be open weekends.
Season passes and day use tickets are available at www.cityofpalmdale.org/drytown.
The six-acre Old West mining town-themed aquatic park features a 925-foot lazy river, a 35-foot waterslide tower with four waterslides and splashdown pool, a 6,000 square foot children’s water playground, including a 50-gallon vortex splash bucket, three water rings and two water cannons, and the new Dusty’s Mineshaft Racer, a 4-lane racer that launches riders headfirst into a 360 degree turn in an enclosed tube, before plunging 40 feet down open-air lanes for a downhill dash to the finish line and a serious drenching.
For more information about DryTown, group rates or private rentals visit www.cityofpalmdale.org/drytown or call 661-267-6161.
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[Information via news release from the City of Palmdale.]
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Summer says
The comparison of your water consumption now to that in the past or against other people is meaningless. My water consumption in the past was minimal but now it is higher although cutbacks were still made. HOWEVER, I lived alone in my 4-bdrm house during the time being used as a base amount and now I have 6 other people in my house. So yes, I am aware that my water consumption is higher.
As for who is using more or less than you, who cares? It’s not a competition. If you use too much and ignore the warnings just because someone else is doing that then we all lose. The prize is no water at all for anything.
If you truly have followed the advice how to cut back and you are doing all you can then you can be proud of yourself. Celebrate. Have a drink of water.
moll flanders says
Summer…Thank you for your great comment!
William says
Summer wrote> “The comparison of your water consumption now to that in the past or against other people is meaningless.”
Au contraire.
It IS meaningful. If you don’t cut back by whatever percent the state mandates, you will be charged a higher rate than for the same amount as last year.
Didn’t you get the letter? It was in English.
Yes, indeedee, it is meaningful.
flanders isn’t up to speed on that one yet, as usual.
The drought doesn’t care what you 2 or Kim think. You will be charged extra to encourage even more conservation, whether you like it or not. Comprende?
moll flanders says
You just extracted part of her comment and turned it into something completely different than what she said. You turned her comment into a William spin, which is nothing close to what she said. Take reading comprehension William. Comprende?
William says
@flanders
She said it was ‘meaningless’. Wait till she gets her bill.
What was the ‘point’ I failed to ‘get’? You tell us, smartypants. How did I turn her first sentence into something different?
The comparison of your water consumption now compared to last year this time IS WHAT THE STATE IS MANDATING A CUT IN. It’s what this whole issue is about….comparing. And, cutting back.
Sheesh. You’re so busy being contrary, you end up shooting yourself in both ‘feets’. You poor thing.
Don’t you get tired of being you?
moll flanders says
Completely out of context again William! The drought doesn’t care what you think either. Quit patting yourself on the back with what you think are clever comments and try not being terminally immature. Stop pointing the finger at other people, and being so self-righteous, and arrogant. When the water runs out, people like you will be pointing the finger, and blaming everyone else. Comprende! I’m not offended by your comments. You bully everyone William.
William says
You can’t admit you were incorrect, flanders. So, you go on a rant. Camparing last year’s and this year’s usage is MEANINGFUL, but you just can’t get it. Can you?
Kim was the one threatening to do ‘business as usual’ by not conserving further, yet you ignored that in your selective outrage.
You lose every single time. Why do you keep coming back for more?
You keep revealing yourself to be clueless while being terminally ‘righteous’ in your own mind.
Like they say, flanders, “You’re always wrong but never in doubt.”
William says
flanders. Does it mean anything if your current use is the same as last year’s use?
From Summer’s original post
“The comparison of your water consumption now to that in the past or against other people is meaningless.”
If you can’t or won’t answer that, which was the point of this exercise, you will have admitted you are full of it.
Go ahead. Your turn. Answer the question and don’t try to sidestep it like you usually do. That, too, will indicate that you are full of it.
Greg says
Perhaps ‘meaningless’ was a bad choice of word, but William, if you place it in context with the rest of the comment the full meaning can be seen. Think of it like taking one verse from a passage in the bible… the one verse can be twisted to mean something it does not, whereas in context with the rest of the text it makes sense.
William says
@Greg
The whole point of what the water departments are doing is COMPARING LAST YEARS AND THIS YEARS USAGE and adding a surcharge is there isn’t certain percent cutback.
Saying that comparing last years and this years usage is ‘meaningless’ defies logic and understanding of American Standard English and what the water companies are going to be doing about it.
What IS the ‘context’ for Summer’s opening sentence? I love it when people say something is taken out of context but don’t say what the ‘context’ really is. I’m sure you’ve heard people say that many times and never say what the context is.
What possible context would make the comparisons ‘meaningless’? The only one I could think of is if the water companies didn’t impose a surcharge at all. But, that’s not the case, is it?
William says
What is the ‘context’, flanders?
I’ll keep asking you since you seem to know everything about everything. N’est-ce pas?
I’ll be a-waitin’ for ya.
Kim says
Dry Town? Sure looks wet to me.
Who will impose the inevitable water restrictions – the requirement to flush every five times, the 2 minute showers, the brown lawns? The City? The State?
I am all for conservation but will continue business as usual at home as long as the City of Palmdale operates this waste.
William says
@Kim
Very smart of you.
I cut my water usage in half from last year’s billing cylce from 64 to 29 units without too much fuss. I just changed some old habits and I was conserving since the 90s and thought there wasn’t much more I could do.
Well, there was.
Don’t complain if you are fined by the water department.
Mark says
I’m not for sure but i think she was making a point of a water park during water restrictions. Maybe the water parks themselves should be closed until the restrictions are no longer. I could be wrong, but that’s what i understood from her comment.
Kim says
“Maybe the water parks themselves should be closed until the restrictions are no longer. ”
Ya think?
John says
Actually, the City of Palmdale is ahead of the curve in water conservation. Since 2008, the City has cut water use by 50 percent. Using computer controlled irrigation systems that use data generated by weather stations, replacing turf with drought tolerant materials, installing water efficient devices and using reclaimed water to irrigate McAdam Park have been instrumental in this huge reduction. More water savings will come as we expand the use of recycled water and remove turf.
DryTown, and its surrounding park, is located on 20 acres that if zoned for houses would hold about 80 homes. 80 homes use about 26 million gallons of water a year. DryTown contains about 1.2 million gallons of water. 80,000 people visit Dry Town each year, sharing the resources. DryTown provides fun, recreation and exercise to thousands with great efficiency. Rather than staying home and using water or air conditioning, people can share resources.
Kim says
So because the City of Palmdale has been wasteful in the past we are to feel good about this? Because they have made historic zoning decisions (key word being decisions) that may have a higher impact than this fun park it is not so bad?
That is my point…. any imposed cut-backs better be off an absolute number as opposed to a historical percentage. Anything else would penalize those that have been conserving water for years.
Look – I feel sorry for the kids growing up in the AV during the long summer months. But there MUST be something more appropriate for them to do in the location, the climate that the city is in. As every realtor will tell you – location, location, location. It is what it is. Simple as that. A water park in the AV is comparable to one of those indoor ski arenas in the Arabian Desert.
Are you really trying to tell me that the A/C will be off in the home while the kiddies are floating down the lazy river? Save a few toilet flushes nothing will change.
“The City will continue to reduce water consumption in the months and years ahead.” – suspending operation of DryTown until conditions are more favorable would be an easy step in that direction.
Tim says
You do know that the water reduction mandates are coming from the state, right? Cities, counties, and individuals are all being mandated to reduce water usage.
William says
@Kim
Your original post was that because Dry Town will remain in operation, you won’t try to conserve any more. You said you would continue with business as usual.
So, why do you keep posting more comments? Even if Dry Town closed, you are still required to cut back or face fines.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over…… You know the rest.
A few years ago, Palmdale began a program to reclaim water for landscaping before the current emergency. And, it mandated xeriscape front yards on all new homes.
What are you trying to prove?
William says
@Mark
Kim wrote (…but will continue business as usual at home…”
Doesn’t that mean she is not going to do any extra conservation at home as a ‘payback’ to the City for continuing with the water park? Sounds childish to me.
Did you read something different, Mark? Even if the water park did close, it seems like Kim would continue doing business as usual anyway if she’s playing that way.
I saw someone watering their lawn yesterday afternoon which is discouraged, especially when it’s windy. So, I should not conserve now because of that?
That’s like saying “I saw a cop talking on his cell phone while driving so I’m gonna do it.” I’m pretty sure she isn’t the only one who is going to continue with business as usual.
I replied that although I was already conserving since the 90s, I was still able to cut my usage in half. Which was a big surprise to me, BTW. I didn’t know it could be done.
She’ll get surcharges for not cutting back just to ‘show’ the City AND people will get to enjoy the water park as well. So, it will all be fine in the end. In Kim’s case, it will be a ‘fine’.
Kim says
Wow. Cut in half…. for a nano second I was impressed. Then I went to the trouble to check my old water statements as I had just signed up for on-line access in order to stay on top of usage.
By far the highest bill was 28 Billing Units last September that I remember as unseasonably hot. Normally well under 20. Typical SFR with 3-4 people. Looking at those comparison bars our usage is typically half or a third of what is budgeted for a comparable home.
How? Climate appropriate (attractive) landscaping. Non-automatic irrigation. Low flow toilets. Water conscious hygiene habits (short showers, no water running when brushing teeth – been yelling at the kids for years). Public Rec Center for swimming. Nothing major.
For transparency, my home is not in a deserty climate (though that should not matter – see ‘climate appropriate landscaping’)
I thought the water bill was not too expensive but did not even realize how little – in comparison – we use. Or in other words – how MUCH others are using.
So let me re-phrase…. I certainly could cut back more. But as long as the City of Palmdale operates a Water Park in a Critical Drought period or people consume 64 CCFs per month I probably won’t find the motivation to do so.
The current drought / water shortage is not a new phenomenon and did not develop overnight. Maybe, instead of feeling proud for cutting back to 29 and lecturing others you should feel bad about ever having used 64?
William says
@ Kim
You wrote “…or people consume 64 CCFs per month I probably won’t find the motivation to do so.”
I don’t know how you are billed but I’m billed for 2 months at a time. My current usage was for 59 days, same as last year, and was 29 units.
-I’ve had a front loading washing machine since 1990.
-I spent $700 back in the 90s to install a recirculating hot water pump and a second pipe to the upstairs bathroom so I wouldn’t waste 2.5gpm for 2 minutes which is 5 gallons before the hot water got there.
-I recently installed 0.5gpm aerators in all my bathroom faucets. Normally, they are much higher flow and the lowest ones at Lowe’s were 1.5gpm. So, I went to Amazon.
-I turned the shut off valves under every sink to just enough to wash hands or rinse food, etc.
-I replaced 2 3.5 gal. toilets with 1.6 gal ones.
My house came with a front and back lawn, so I let the back yard go dormant and water the front once a week and have the gardener mow it every other week.
If you are fined for not conserving more, then you deserve it with your attitude. Meanwhile, I won’t be fined and Dry Town will still be available for those who want to use it.
Kim says
Well, if you cut your consumption more than in half without ‘too much fuss’ – isn’t that the text book definition of past wasteful behavior? You want a gold star? Really? This water shortage is years in the making. Sounds like you are part of the problem…
William says
@Kim
Read my comment above yours, still in moderation. I’ve been conserving all along but there were still more efficient ways with newer technology.
You just go ahead and do ‘business as usual’ instead of finding ways to cut back more and pretend YOU aren’t still part of the problem.
That’ll show the City. But, don’t complain when your bill gets a surcharge, Kim. You asked for it.
John says
Hi Kim:
Since 2008, the City of Palmdale has reduced its water use by 50 percent. This was achieved through a number of measures that were enacted: watering landscape using ET (evaporation/transpiration) irrigation monitored by computer software and weather stations, checking irrigation systems weekly, removing turf at park sites and facilities, using drought tolerant landscaping, converting Landscape Assessment Districts from turf to point source irrigation, eliminating watering from October to March and using reclaimed water to irrigate McAdam Park. So far, using reclaimed water is saving 16.5 million gallons of potable water a year. Once the reclaimed water system is complete at all our parks and facilities in the Palmdale Water District area, it will save over 700 million gallons of potable water a year, which is enough to meet the needs of 2,148 average homes annually. The City will continue to reduce water consumption in the months and years ahead.
As for DryTown, its three pools and water features contain 1.2 million gallons of water. If DryTown and the park’s 20 acres were developed for residential housing, it is estimated that there would be 80 homes which would use an average of 26 million gallons of water each year. DryTown recirculates and filters its water, uses zero entry pools which return the water to the surge pits for reuse and has all pool and plumbing built to the highest conservation standards. Plus, DryTown provides recreation, exercise and fun for more than 80,000 people a year. By sharing resources, including water, thousands of people can keep cool without using their own water or air conditioning during the hot summer months.
Summer Hales says
Can we assume you work for the water park?
Tim Scott says
I don’t work for the water park, but I used to run an olympic size competition pool for a university…and the fact that it holds a million gallons doesn’t mean much in terms of usage. Sure, there is some surface evaporation that has to be made up, but for the most part a swimming pool uses less in make up water than would be required to keep a similar sized patch of grass green.
Don’t confuse volume with consumption.
=D says
Thought we were in a drought?!?