The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Walt Disney World is draining and filling in the pool at River Country, the water park that has been abandoned since closing in 2002.
Upstream Plunge was a 330,000-gallon pool that was “surrounded by manmade boulders for jumping and diving platforms.” This pool is right next to Mickey’s Backyard BBQ at Fort Wilderness.
Scott Smith, assistant hospitality professor at the University of South Carolina, says the pool was a potential liability and that it’s surprising it’s taken Disney this long to fill it in. “Just one small child gets away from their parents and falls in there, now you have another tragedy.”
Disney said this project has been in the works for awhile, but that there are no other plans to tear down the rest of the water park. They also said the work is not related to the ongoing Zika virus threat, though standing water is generally known to attract mosquitoes, some of which carry the virus.
The Sentinel’s article also mentions long-standing rumors of developing Disney Vacation Club units on the property.
News source: Orlando Sentinel
Photo credit: Yesterland.com
Leah grew up in a little farming town in Illinois, right on the Mississippi River. Her Chicago-born husband, David, left the city for her, and they're now raising their three children (Jacob, Jonah and Lydia) just 12 miles from her hometown. As the Senior Editor of the DIS (wdwinfo.com), Leah spends a lot of time writing about, reading about, and discussing Disney. So, it should come as no surprise that one of her family's favorite ways to spend time is going to Walt Disney World and traveling on Disney Cruise Line. She also enjoys shopping, watching movies with her husband and doing crafts with and for her kids.
