Heat Causes Attendance Spike at Gaithersburg Water Park

People looking to escape the extreme summer heat in the Gaithersburg area have found their ideal spot: .

, more than 2,000 people visited the park Wednesday, Gaithersburg Aquatics Manager Adam Goldstein said.

"We’ve been a little bit more busy than usual," Goldstein told Patch. "We have a lot of our groups that come throughout the summer that have been attending and we’ve seen an increase in our daily customers because a lot of people are looking for a neat place to cool off given the heat wave."

On Wednesday, June 22, 2011, Goldstein said the water park drew approximately 1,000 visitors. The average temperature in Montgomery County that day was 78.5 degrees, according to The Old Farmer's Alamanc.

Customers and employees are being cautious to avoid any health complications due to the heat, Goldstein said, adding there were no issues Wednesday or Thursday.

"We keep our staff well-hydrated and we encourage everyone to drink water," Goldstein said. "There are plenty of water fountains throughout the facility. People really just come here to cool off and relax, but everyone's been staying safe during the heat wave."

To keep cool, staff members rotate posts every 20 minutes and lifeguards are permitted to hop in the pool as they switch stations, Goldstein said. Once per hour, staff can come into the office to cool off.

Customers are allowed to bring any outside food or drink, but glass bottles and alcoholic beverages are prohibited.