While there are numerous amusement parks that opened more than 100 years ago in different parts of the world, water parks age faster and require significantly more maintenance.
The strain of a constant flow of water on older infrastructure make many theme parks that run water rides too expensive to maintain and renovate. At the start of June 2026, CaliBunga Waterpark in San José closed down for an indefinite period amid a lack of clarity between the city and the 41-year-old park’s new owners around needed renovations.
A month earlier in May, the Wild Waves Theme and Water Park in Washington State also announced that it will close after nearly 50 years in business over rising operational costs.
Cultus Lake Waterpark still closed after electrical incident sent 12 to hospital
While the park is not closing down forever, Cultus Lake Waterpark in the Canadian province of British Columbia is currently also closed during height of the summer season after an electrical incident on one of the rides led to the hospitalization of 10 children and two young adults.
Later information from the Royal Canadian Mountain Police revealed that the injuries occurred when the riders were lining up for the Zero to 60 Raceway ride and had to do with touching the railing as they waited in line to go on the ride.
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Emergency crews were called to the park at 11:20 a.m. on June 15 and 12 of the youth were taken to the nearest hospital in conditions that were “reported to be stable with serious injuries.” Two of them had to be airlifted.
The water park announced an immediate shutdown for 48 hours after the incident as investigators were called in “to conduct a thorough and independent investigation” into what went wrong with the ride. Nearly a month later, Cultus Lake Waterpark remains closed with the latest announcement saying that a mid-July opening is the current target. Those who purchased tickets or season passes will be given refunds, the park confirms.
Cultus Lake Waterpark
“Fully cooperating with the authorities through the process of investigation and assessment”: Cultus Lake Waterpark
“We are fully cooperating with the authorities through the process of investigation and assessment,” Cultus Lake Waterpark said in a statement when the park first closed down. “We are determined to ensure that something like this does not happen within our facility again.”
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The water park was built in 1984 near a popular natural lake in the British Columbian town of Chilliwack. While very popular with families all over the province during the summer months, the amusement park started to see its infrastructure age in a way that would require millions in new funds to modernize over the years in operation.
Another water park operated by the same director, Splashdown Vernon, also saw its season opening delayed last summer after safety inspectors flagged concerns with numerous rides.
“At the Vernon waterpark, six of eleven slides were not permitted to open due to safety concerns,” Kate Parker, Vice President of Operations for Technical Safety British Columbia, said in a statement in 2025. “Many of these pre-season non-compliances were related to structure and maintenance checks, specifically around slide deterioration and safety protocols.”
Related: 36-year-old theme park closing down after summer season