Ah. Hints of the coming summer.

As the pollen festers and the temperature rises, Atlantans can count on one place to cool off.

Louie Favorite/AJC/ (ENLARGE)

Anthony Roige, 4, of Woodbridge, N.J. playing in the fountain in Centennial Olympic Park Friday. It is on, while the state is in the midst of a Level IV drought.

Louie Favorite/AJC/ (ENLARGE)

Derivian Norwood, 13, of Atlanta playing in the fountain in Centennial Olympic Park.

• Photos: Lanier revealed: A photographer's essay DEALING WITH THE DROUGHT: • The watering rules ... • ... And a few exceptions • 10 tips to save water • Map: Heavy demands on our water RELATED: Corps issues warning to July 4th visitors to Lake Lanier  Fourth of July boaters should beware of low lake levels  Talk of damming Flint River stirs anger  State: Drought will worsen so keep conserving  Sun drains .2 inch of water daily from Lanier  • More on coping with the drought

Centennial Olympic Park's Fountain of Rings water display is alive and well — drought be damned.

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Though metro Atlanta is under drought restrictions that ban nearly all outdoor watering, Centennial Olympic Park was granted a waiver by the state.

The Fountain of Rings, where kids have danced since 1996, is classified as a swimming pool, albeit a very shallow one.

Swimming pools, as defined under the rules for the Georgia Division of Public Health, include interactive fountains, called "zero-depth pools."

Under the rule, a zero-depth pool is "a pad which contains various fountains and/or interactive water spray or waterfall features."

However, the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness, which issues permits for public-use pools, said the county does not consider the Fountain of Rings a swimming pool and has never inspected it, a spokeswoman said.

Jim Ussery, assistant director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, said the water in the fountain is disinfected and "made for contact." He said there are maybe four or five such interactive fountains in the state, including the one at Centennial Olympic Park.

"We recognize that downtown Atlanta and Centennial Olympic Park are favorite summertime destinations, and we are happy to continue to offer a safe and fun place for all to enjoy," Centennial Olympic Park General Manager Mark Banta said.

The Fountain of Rings began operation last weekend.

"As soon as it came back on, they were pouring in here," said James Water, an engineer at the park.

On Friday morning, a steady stream of kids and parents took the plunge and jumped in and out of the cascading, darting water.

Angie Miller, who lives in Newnan, was meeting a friend in the city and decided to meet at Olympic Park. It was her first visit to the park and her son, Jacob, 7, took full advantage of it.

"I feel horrible that we had never been here before," said Miller, laughing as Jacob got hit in the face with a dashing stream of water. "I want him to come back and play when it is hot and we can wear our bathing suits."

But not everybody is splashing yet. Up in Suwanee, home of the Big Splash in Town Center Park, the city is still waiting for EPD permission to reopen.

"We have inquired with Georgia EPD, and we haven't gotten a response yet. We would like to have the opportunity to open," said James Miller, Suwanee's public works and inspections director.

The Big Splash shut down when the Level 4 restrictions were enforced.

Miller said although the city hasn't heard back from the EPD, it expects the same outcome as Centennial Olympic Park.