Trickle Down Theory
Boosting Waterpark Fun to Grow Revenues, Build Community
By Rick Dandes
Go Big!
To keep excitement high, many municipalities and private waterparks alike expand their offerings with new rides and attractions. Adding something new every couple of years will keep interest in your park high, and may even help attract a whole new audience. Here are some ideas you might not have tried yet:
Dump Buckets: A suspended bucket slowly fills with water-500 gallons or more-then tips over and gives a great big splash to the kids below. Sometimes there are sirens or alarms that signal when the bucket is about to tip.
Funnel or Tornado Rides: Visitors ride tubes down a waterslide and end up in a funnel, where they slide up one side, then down again, then back up the other side, spinning gradually to the slides exit.
Lazy River: Visitors grab an inner tube and ride along the current. These features can also be adapted for water walking and other programming that is especially attractive to seniors.
Raft Rides: More than a lazy river, this ride carries visitors on a raft through a usually-themed atmosphere, with tunnels, "rapids," splashes, spectacles, animatronics and sound and other interactive elements.
Speed Slides: A great way to draw in thrill-seeking teens, speed slides can deliver top speeds of up to 60 mph. Appeal to visitors with a competitive streak by providing slides with racing lanes and timers. This type of slidedoes not require a lot of water, but it does need plenty of run-out room-about 100 to 200 feet.
Splash Play: Zero-depth play areas with plenty of water interaction, these types of amenities can be designed to draw all ages by providing different zones.
Surf Machines: Well-funded facilities can turn to surf machines, which are an exciting attraction for surfers and spectators alike. This type of amenity is especially attractive to teens ready to see and be seen.
Uphill Coasters: Using high-speed conveyors, water jets or linear induction motors, these rides propel riders skyward just as a roller coaster would, but with water. Once pushed over the crest, gravity takes riders on a fun downhill plunge. Just as with roller coasters, some portions of these rides can be enclosed for an even greater thrill.
Wave Pools: A giant pool that creates waves for visitors to ride. Attractive to all ages, and a nice addition to any park.
New Developments in Conservation
The recently completed Wet'n'Wild waterpark in Las Vegas provides a good example of what can be done to help conserve water, while also providing a fun recreational experience. "Due to things like slides ending in shallow run-outs instead of pools," Colvin said, "water is captured and reused more efficiently. We designed it to have the water stored in storage tanks underground, away from the dry desert air. Another conservation tool is the use of regenerative media filters that discharge a fraction of the water to the sewer that traditional sand filters use during a backwash cycle. Regenerative filters also operate at a lower pressure, which allows for about 20 percent less pumping power, that in turn leads to less energy usage."
Variable frequency drives (VFDs) on pump motors are another energy saver. These devices allow pumps to operate more efficiently, lowering the electricity usage demands. The technology has been around for a long time, but the prices of the devices have been coming down, making them more feasible even on small projects.