The city of Charleston finally activated the long-awaited splash pad at Magic Island on Tuesday after two previous ribbon cuttings were canceled due to rain.
While the splash pad wasn't damaged during last month's flooding, city workers had to wait for the Kanawha River's levels to go down before it could be cleaned.
City engineer Chris Knox has said the volleyball courts at Magic Island, which lie adjacent to the water feature, will likely need to be relocated because sand can be easily tracked onto the splash pad and end up in its water storage tank.
Mayor Danny Jones and other city officials attended the ribbon cutting ceremony, as well as representatives from the National Recreation and Park Association, American Water Charitable Foundation, project contractor Southern Playground and the designer and manufacturer of the splash pad, Vortex Aquatic Structures.
The splash pad is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is motion-activated. To turn on the water, visitors must step on the large blue circle in the middle of the pad.
Funds for the new Magic Island splash pad came from the City of Charleston and a grant issued through the Building Better Communities initiative, a program of the American Water Charitable Foundation and the National Recreation and Park Association.
That grant also paid for an in-ground educational feature about water use and stewardship next to the splash pad.