Wild Rivers Plans For Water Park Redo In Orange County

IRVINE, CA — It was a slice of Orange County summer, until family favorite Wild Rivers Water Park closed its doors to make way for a new Orange County apartment complex in 2011. After eight years Wild Rivers President Mike Riedel says that the group has found a new home, this time at Irvine's Great Park.

"We're working nonstop," he told the Orange County Register last week. "It's an ambitious goal but I think we can do it."

Wild Rivers would, if all goes according to plan, reopen their doors in 2019. They are planning a 26-acre water park that would include water slides, an uphill "water coaster," water play activities for the kiddos, wave pool, lazy river and the Wild River iconic Congo River Rapids.

While the previous iteration of Wild Rivers was approximately 14-acres in size, the newly planned park will be part of the as-of-yet undeveloped 233-acre Cultural Terrace.

That project will include an amphitheater, lake, library, museums and more.

According to the Register, the new Wild Rivers park will be situated along Marine Way, across from the Sports Park.

Irvine's City Council approved Wild Rivers' taking the next steps for environmental studies of the land at their last meeting, as well as asked for a design of a parking lot that would accommodate 1,200 vehicles for the water park and other visitors to the Cultural Terrace.

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