Manteca Water Park Project Raises Eyebrows In Drought
MANTECA (CBS13) — A large resort and sports complex that includes an indoor water park is raising eyebrows about undergoing such a project in a drought.
In the 1970s, Manteca made a splash as the first Northern California fiberglass water park, featuring the tallest slide in California. That attraction closed 11 years ago.
The Manteca City Council says it expects tourism dollars to flood in if it gets water to flow down the slides again. The city has the land and McWhinney Real Estate Services has the plan to develop a new Great Wolf Resort.
It's ready to break ground in the fall, but some residents like Thomas Russell don't like the idea of the resort getting so much water.
"Farmers are having to give their water back. I don't think it's a good time to waste water like that," he said.
Manteca economic development manager Don Smail says the city has enough to spare.
"We had to do an assessment to see if there was enough water to serve the project and the conclusion was that we do," he said.
The resort is planned near the city's water treatment facility, and Great Wolf Resort says it can recycle 98 percent of the water park's water.
As an example of water recycling, the manager at Clear Drop Car Wash says it's very easy to do. Adam Holman says the car wash recycles 65 percent of its water.
"It gets all the particles out, the sand, the dirt out. It's cleaner than when we got it from the city," he said.
The trick, though, is capturing it. Smail says Great Wolf will be indoors, so water won't evaporate or splash out as much as an outdoor pool.
"It's completely enclosed environment where it's 83 degrees water temperature and air temperature. It's constantly recycled," he said.
The resort is scheduled to be completed by 2017.