Abstract:
A splash pad is provided for receiving water directed from a roof structure down a downspout. The splash pad includes a bottom and a surrounding wall structure. A spillway is provided that permits accumulated water in the splash pad to spillover and be discharged from the splash pad. An aggregate such as riprap can be contained within the splash pad for dissipating the kinetic energy of water discharge by the downspout. In addition, a lip can be provided outwardly of the spillway for dissipating the kinetic energy of the water spilling from the splash pad.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to splash pads for dissipating kinetic energy of water being discharged from a downspout. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Downspout splash pads have been used for years on residential, commercial and industrial buildings in an effort to kill the impact and energy of water exiting from a vertical outlet such as downspout. Usually made of pre-cast concrete or other composite material, conventional splash pads commonly come in two sizes, one for residential uses and the other, typically slightly larger, for commercial and industrial buildings. One of the principal drawbacks to conventional splash pads is that their designs do not take into account the volume of water that will impact and pass over them. Conventional splash pads may kill the impact energy immediately below the downspout opening, but they do nothing to stop the erosion of soil just downhill of the splash pads caused by large volumes of water discharged by the downspout. 
   Soil erosion is a serious problem especially in the case of buildings with large roof expanses. Indeed, the problem is so pronounced that in order to curtail erosion in and around buildings with large roof expanses, designers of industrial buildings have opted for underground drainage systems to intercept the runoff and convey the runoff to other pipes that eventually discharge to a ditch outfall. This approach to solving the soil erosion problem is very expensive. 
   Therefore, there is and continues to be a need for a splash pad that not only dissipates the energy of the falling water, but also acts to control soil erosion downstream or downhill from the splash pad. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention comprises a splash pad for receiving water from a downspout associated with a building and controlling the velocity and discharge flow rate of water from the splash pad. The splash pad includes a surrounding sidewall structure that defines a water receiving area. An aggregate such as riprap can be disposed within the splash pad for dissipating kinetic energy of water directed from the downspout into the splash pad. Formed about the splash pad is a spillway that permits water accumulated in the splash pad to be discharged. 
   Further, the present invention entails a method of controlling erosion resulting from water from a roof structure being discharged through a downspout. The method entails directing water from the roof structure to a downspout and from the downspout onto an aggregate, such as riprap, contained within a splash pad having a surrounding wall structure and a bottom formed by a structure or even the ground. Water received by the splash pad is confined therein by the surrounding wall structure. Accumulated water is directed from the splash pad through a spillway formed on the splash pad. 
   Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings, which are merely illustrative of such invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the splash pad of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of the splash pad shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of an alternative splash pad. 
       FIG. 4  is a top elevational view of yet another alternative splash pad. 
       FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the splash pad shown in  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the splash pad shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
   With further reference to the drawings, the splash pad of the present invention are shown therein and indicated generally by the numeral  10 . As will be appreciated from subsequent portions of this disclosure, splash pad  10  is designed to be located or positioned adjacent a building  50  having a downspout  60  extending downwardly along a corner or side portion of the building  50 . Downspout  60  is aligned with a splash pad  10  such that water discharged by the downspout will be directed into the splash pad  10 . 
   Splash pad  10  includes a surrounding sidewall structure  12 . Extending between the sidewall structure  12  is a bottom  14 . Bottom  14  may be structured such as in the case where the splash pad  10  is constructed of plastic or metal. Alternatively, the bottom  14  can simply be a mud slab. Bottom  14  may be particularly sloped. That is, the central portion of the bottom  14  may be slightly raised such that the bottom as a whole slopes downwardly towards the surrounding sidewall structure  12 . A series of weep holes  16  can be provided in the sidewall structure  12 . Weep holes  16  would be placed at an elevation such that residual water contained within the splash pad  10  could drain therefrom. It is contemplated that the splash pad  10  would be made watertight uphill from the splash pad  10 . That means, of course, the splash pad  10  would be particularly designed and/or oriented such that the weep holes  16 , when the splash pad is installed, would be directed downhill. 
   Further, the splash pad  10  would include an aggregate such as riprap. The aggregate would be disposed on the bottom and would extend upwardly within the splash pad  10  a selected distance. By placing the aggregate or rip rap in the splash pad, the energy associated with the water exiting the downspout  60  is dissipated. 
   A spillway  12 A is formed around an exterior portion of the splash pad  10 . In the case of the design shown in  FIGS. 1–3 , the spillway  12 A is formed along an upper edge of the surrounding sidewall structure  12 . As water accumulates in the splash pad  10 , it will rise to the level of the spillway  12 A and then spill over and exit from the splash pad. It is appreciated that a section of the surrounding sidewall structure can be indented such that only a segment of the surrounding sidewall structure will form the spillway  12 A. This permits selective diversion of the water from the splash pad. 
   Disposed just outside of the spillway  12 A is a lip  18 . See  FIGS. 2 and 3 . Lip  18  will dissipate the kinetic energy associated with the water falling from the spillway. Thus, as seen in the drawings, as the water exits the splash pad  10 , the water will move over the spillway  12 A and fall onto and impact against the lower disposed lip  18 . 
   Splash pad  10  of the design shown in  FIGS. 1–3 , can be constructed of various materials including concrete, plastic or metal. Further, splash pad  10  can assume various shapes. For example, splash pad  10  may be in the form of a quarter-round, half-round, three-quarter, or even a full circle. Additionally, splash pad  10  can be square, rectangular or even other odd or irregular shapes. 
   Shown in  FIGS. 4–6  is another embodiment of the splash pad  10  of the present invention. This splash pad design includes an inner cell indicated generally by the numeral  30 . Inner cell  30  is a depression formed in the splash pad and formed by a bottom  34  and surrounding wall structure  32 . Inner cell  30  is designed to receive and hold aggregate such as riprap. As with the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1–3 , this embodiment may also be provided with weep holes formed in the wall structure  32  adjacent the bottom  34 . Thus, residual water remaining in the inner cell  30  can be drained therefrom via the weep holes, preventing mosquito breeding. 
   Formed on the splash pad  10  adjacent the inner cell  30  is a pair of pad areas or surface areas  36 . In this particular design there is provided a pad area  36  on each side of the inner cell. Pad area  36  is elevated with respect to the bottom  34  of the inner cell  30 . 
   Surrounding at least a portion of the splash pad  10  is a sidewall or retaining wall  38 . In the case of the particular design shown in  FIGS. 4–6 , the retaining wall  38  includes a back and a pair of sides. Formed between the opposed sides that make up the retaining wall  38  is a spillway  40 . Spillway  40  is disposed at an elevation below the upper edge of the retaining wall  38  and, in one embodiment, about at an elevation generally equal to the elevation of the pad area  36 . Water that moves over the pad areas  36  will be dispersed from the splash pad  10  by the spillway  40 . Disposed below the spillway  40  is a lip  42 . Lip  42  dissipates the kinetic energy of water passing from the inner cell  30  and pad areas  36  over the spillway  40 . It is appreciated that as water is directed from a downspout  60  into the inner cell  30  that water will accumulate therein and once the inner cell is filled, it follows that water therefrom will spill over or move onto the pad areas  36 . From the pad areas  36 , the water, because of the retaining wall  38 , will be forced to move over the spillway  40 , falling onto the lip  42 . 
   In the case of the embodiment or design shown in  FIGS. 4–6 , the splash pad  10  is situated underneath a downspout  60  such that the downspout is aligned with the inner cell  30 . Hence, water being discharged from downspout  60  is directed into the inner cell  30 . The aggregate or riprap contained within the inner cell will break or dissipate the kinetic energy associated with the falling water. In the case of the splash pad  10  shown in  FIGS. 4–6 , the spillway is situated or aligned in the downhill direction. Hence, water discharged from the splash pad  10  will be directed in the downhill or downgrade direction. It is appreciated that the retaining wall  38  and the spillway  40  can be designed for particular applications to take into account the basic topography or configuration of the ground in and around a building where a downspout exists. 
   The splash pad  10 , for either design discussed herein, can be constructed in various sizes. For example, the splash pad  10  can be manufactured in standard sizes to cover modular roof areas. For example, a 6′ radius or 3′ by 12′ wide splash pad will accommodate runoff in coastal North Carolina areas with a tributary roof area of 20′×200′ releasing across the top of the splash pad spillway approximately ⅓ gallon of water per second per foot of spillway length. 
   As noted above, the splash pads  10  can be constructed of various materials including concrete, metal, plastic, fiberglass or other similar non-biodegradable, resilient materials. Splash pads  10  can be installed on level ground. Typically an area underneath a downspout is dug out and the splash pad  10  is installed and leveled. Thereafter, the splash pad is backfilled, either partially or wholly with stone, with average sizes of 3″ to 6″ in diameter. 
   As discussed above, the aggregate used in the splash pads may be riprap or other insoluble materials. Also, the aggregate may include high-carbon ash, which could possibly remove nitrogen and phosphorous as well as other contaminants from water discharged into the splash pads. 
   The principal advantage of the splash pad  10  of the present invention is that it curtails or at least minimizes erosion from water being discharged from downspouts associated with buildings with relatively large roof structures. The splash pad  10  of the present invention is designed to remove or dissipate the kinetic energy associated with the falling water and hence distribute the water from the splash pad in a gentle fashion such that the water does not erode soil as it moves from the building to lower elevations. 
   The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the scope and the essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are therefore to be construed in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.