Wild Rivers Water Park Under Construction At Great Park

IRVINE, CA — Orange County Great Park will have a water park this time next year, officials predict. On Wednesday, the ground was broken for the Wild Rivers Water Park by next summer.

The Irvine City Council approved the project in April 2020 and in November the city's planning commission granted a permit for the 20-acre project at the southeast corner of Great Park Boulevard and Skyhawk.

"Wild Rivers' plans include multiple components including in-ground slides, pools, and thrill slides," officials report.

When the water park opens, guests can expect slides and pools with room to potentially expand by three acres. There will be 20 attractions available on opening day, with additional attractions planned for the future, including a potential 3-acre expansion.

"I'm beyond thrilled to bring Wild Rivers back to Irvine," Mayor Farrah N. Khan said, referring to the closure of the original version of the water park in September 2011.

That park opened in July 1986.

"The water park has been a special place for many community members, and I'm glad our residents will once again have this amenity in their backyards," Khan said. Parking for the water park should accommodate over 1,200 cars.

"The lot will be available exclusively for the water park when it is in operation from mid-May through mid-September, and it will be available for other uses within the Great Park the remainder of the year," the city of Irvine says.

The water park will employ roughly 1,200 people, according to the city of Irvine.

Though the City of Irvine will own and construct the parking lot they will lease the facility to Wild Rivers.

What you can expect when Wild Rivers Water Park opens:

The three sections of the park will be designed at differing levels of adventurous fun.

Development plans show attractions organized into three sectors:

• Southwest Sector
  • Adventure River
  • Kids' slides
  • Shallow Activity Pool (the Island)
  • Multilevel play structure
• Southeast Sector
  • Family Raft Rides
  • Tube Slide Complex
  • Drop slides and body slides
• Northern Sector
  • Mat Racers
  • Wave Pool

The water park will be open from mid-May through mid-September and can be used for "other activities" the rest of the year, officials say.