In April 2020, the Irvine City Council approved a location and lease for the water park. In November, the Irvine Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the conditional use permit for the 20-acre project at the southeast corner of Great Park Boulevard and Skyhawk.
Wild River’s plans include multiple components including in-ground slides, pools, and thrill slides. As currently proposed, there will be 20 attractions available on opening day, with additional attractions planned for the future, including a potential 3-acre expansion.
Development plans show attractions organized into three sectors. An Adventure River, kids’ slides and shallow activity pool (the Island), and multilevel play structure will be located in the southwest sector. The southeast sector will include attractions such as the Family Raft Rides, Tube Slide Complex, Raft Rides, Drop Slides, and Body Slides. Two attractions are planned for the northern sector, the Mat Racers and the Wave Pool.
Adjacent to the water park will be a new city parking lot with approximately 1,230 parking spaces. 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 will construct the parking lot, but will lease the facility to Wild Rivers.
The project’s projected budget is $50 million (funded privately) and an anticipated opening of spring 2022 (timeline is subject to change).