Published on 05 March 2020

Hot summer days – really cool parks

With the very high temperatures experienced this summer in Adelaide, many of us simply stay indoors with the air conditioning going full tilt.

SA Water has provided an innovative solution to being stuck at home during summer heatwaves. In partnership with local councils, they have created a new interactive tool to help the community find the coolest park when it is hot outside.

A new interactive map on SA Water’s website can help you discover the best parks to visit and still stay cool. Now there’s no need to keep the kids inside because live temperature readings at each park will assist in families getting back outdoors for picnics, ball games and family get-togethers even on very hot days.

We know that parks that are watered regularly reduce the temperature of the local area.

The City of Onkaparinga has a variety of parks and open spaces for people to enjoy all year round and this interactive map will help locate the nearest park with the coolest air temperature in real time.

You can also search the map for a new, cool park that you may not have been to before. The map even lists the amenities at each of the parks such as barbecues, seating, toilets and playground equipment.

SA Water Business Development Manager Greg Ingleton explained the rationale behind the map’s creation.

“We’re keen to work with the council and other open space managers to assist with demonstrating the benefits of having green open space, and to get the most value out of the water used for irrigation,” Greg says.

“By providing the live temperature data we hope to make a difference to the way people interact with outdoor spaces in summer, and encourage people to move away from the air conditioner and out into the park when it is not too hot,” he said.

City of Onkaparinga Senior Open Space Operations Officer Andrew Wark outlined council’s involvement in the project.

“We’re excited at the opportunity to collaborate with SA Water to implement trials that demonstrate the link between irrigated open spaces and lower temperatures,” Andy says.

“We expect the trials to prove what we know intuitively to be true and understand that if the rationale is applied more broadly, greener open spaces stand to deliver tangible health, social and environmental benefits.

“We know this approach makes sense, and we’ll aim to do what we can within our future budgets to maximise these benefits for the region and our communities. We need to play the long game on this, planning now for the future.”

Locate a cool park near you.