WaveYard is the name of a new water based community / playland which, of course, is to be located… in the desert.
Yep. Some geniuses were sitting around, possibly enjoying some hashish, when one said something like “Hey dude. I’ve got an idea… Let’s build the biggest water mega-park the world has ever seen! Oh, and we’ll do it in the desert!”
If constructed, the park would use as much as 100 million gallons of groundwater a year.
Here is their description:
Get ready for Waveyard, the first adventure super-park and adrenaline cocktail that will deliver the adventure sports lifestyle on a scale you never dreamed possible. Step out of rush hour into the ultimate rush, Waveyard will open new chapter on family entertainment and residential living. It will be a place to belong while fueling your passions.
Through a series of break-through technologies, we will unveil a diverse range of life-enhancing experiences including surfing, white water rafting, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, standing wave surfing, wakeboarding, boogie boarding, climbing, canyoneering, zip lines, an action river, board sports training, a massive sand beach, concerts, world class competitions, volleyball, an indoor water park, special events, and much, much more.
Waveyard will also be home to a resort hotel, resort villas, a conference center, a spa and wellness center, an amphitheater, numerous restaurants, a surf shop and paddle sports store, entertainment retail, office space, and several unique residential opportunities.
The Associated Press had the following to say:
The Waveyard will need as much as 50 million gallons of water at first to fill its artificial oceans and rivers.
Replenishing water lost to evaporation and spillage will require another 60 to 100 million gallons per year, enough to support about 1,200 people in the Phoenix area.
Project organizers say they won’t tap Mesa’s drinking water supplies to fill the park. Instead, they plan to draw from a well that has elevated levels of arsenic, which makes its water unsuitable for drinking. The Waveyard will build a treatment plant to make the water safe for swimmers.
Rita Maguire, a former director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources who studied water availability for Waveyard developers, said the project will not use any more water than one of Arizona’s many golf courses.
Ummm, am I crazy, or will this FAIL?
Thanks to Troy at Layered Tech for pointing this out to me.
It’s a strange old World when we can waste 100 miilion gallons of water a year, whilst communities elsewhere have to walk 10 miles a day just to get enough to drink.
I think it would be dumber to have it right by the ocean. I just don’t understand why this is so bad? If your in the desert, your probably hot and thirsty. A water park makes tons of sense in the desert.
P.S. Why is there a evil little smile next to the “add comment” button saying I’m being watched?
If the water park in Dubai’s desert is anything to go by, this will do anything but fail. :)
What were they thinking with Los Vegas and look how successful it is, I agree with Philip above. Keep us posted John.
And yes what is that “You’re being watched” about.
I think this is going to be quite a contrast. At the end of the day they do some crazy things in Dubai with their desert. Why not do the same in US? :D
Wet ‘n Wild in Vegas closed down, There might be another waterpark close by I haven’t really looked.
This is a bad idea because like Vegas, there is a very real water shortage. Lake Meade is way down, people and even hotels are being told to get rid of their grass and put in a desert landscape. You can only water what plants you do have during certain times of the day and even on certain days depending on your address.
I’m pretty sure the ban on new pools is still in effect.
It is a desert, the Colorado river has a limited supply and it’s being shared by a growing number of growing communities. Las Vegas has been on the hunt for new water supplies outside of the river.
The Waveyard was pretty contoversial when it was first proposed and voted on a couple of years ago. I agree that it is probably a waste of water, although it looks like it isn’t being taken out of the Colorado or any other potable water supplies.
I have lived in Arizona for four years now and can testify that living in a desert does strange things to you with regards to your attitudes about water. Any rain that falls is a cause for celebration. A river full of running water becomes a novelty. The thought of having that much water around is attractive because it provides an opportunity to easily escape the arid landscape for some time.
Watershed management is the issue, whether this has impact on human needs is not cleare to me.
Wow, this is incredible. A local school stopped people from having water fights because it was a waste of water. If a school can get its morals right then I can’t seem to understand why these people can’t. It is a complete waste of water and really is taking the **** out of those who are living in countries where they must walk miles to get water which, even then, is barely clean enough to drink.
Reading the previous comments it appears that this plan is likely to fail anyway so good luck to the people trying to push for it!!!!
John
How on EARTH could a golf course use as much water as a water park? Even a ‘normal’ water park – like Wet ‘N Wild, or something…