Wet ‘n Wild Wave Hits Breaker in Santee Board : Amusement: Divided water district panel delays decision on a proposal for a 45-acre water theme park.

Representatives of a Florida-based company want to slip and slide their way into Santee, where Tuesday they formally proposed building a water amusement park and family recreation center on 45 acres at Santee Lakes Recreation Park.

Wet ‘n Wild Inc. presented officials from the Padre Dam Municipal Water District with their park plan in an effort to gain a long-term lease. The proposed water park would be situated in the western part of the Santee park.

The water park proposal carries an estimated $23-million price tag and is expected to take two years to design and build, said Gary Daning, who heads Wet ‘n Wild’s Nevada division. The Santee site was selected because of its inland location and its accessibility to freeways.

But water district directors had mixed reactions toward a proposal to work with Wet ‘n Wild officials on locating the park at Santee Lakes. The plan resulted in a split vote because a director was absent from the meeting, said Lesley Robin, a water district spokeswoman. The board then approved a motion to reconsider the proposal pending additional information from Wet ‘n Wild officials.

Gerald Johnson, president of the board of directors of the water district, said in an earlier interview that he believed Wet ‘n Wild’s plans could face land availability and traffic problems.

“We need to see if there is enough property. We don’t really have the 40 to 50 acres they need because of our plans to upgrade the existing water reclamation center located in the western region of the park,” Johnson said. “The other problem is traffic. That’s going to be a real problem, for the city of Santee to get people in and out of there.”

Robin said three people spoke out against Wet ‘n Wild’s proposal at Tuesday’s board meeting, citing noise, traffic and decreased property values as problems they believe the park would create.

But the proposed park has already gained the support of the Santee Chamber of Commerce, whose board of directors have agreed it would be a beneficial addition to the city, said Teresa McTighe, the chamber’s executive director, during an interview. Chamber board members, though, have not agreed on a location for the park.

“The trickle-down effect to other local businesses would be very beneficial as well as the direct dollars and employment it would bring to the community, “ McTighe said.

Wet ‘n Wild officials estimate that the park would attract more than 600,000 visitors a year, generating tax dollars for Santee and more employment.

Plans call for the park to employ more than 800 people during the summer season and about 250 people the rest of the year, Daning said. The park is also expected to generate $850,000 in revenue for the water district and $150,000 in new tax revenue for the city of Santee.

The park would include water rides operating May through September and year-round amusement park attractions, Daning said.

Wet ‘n Wild officials said that reclaimed water produced by the Padre Dam Water District would be used to operate the water rides.

But the company probably would have to compete with other buyers for that water, according to Padre Dam Water District General Manager Russ Dowers.

Currently, the district pumps an average of one million gallons of reclaimed water daily into the Santee Lakes. The district is considering a plant upgrade that would boost output to 2 million gallons daily, and several potential users have surfaced for that additional reclaimed water.

Wet ‘n Wild’s founder, George Millay, told board members at Tuesday’s meeting that he would not locate the water park in the area unless his company could use reclaimed water, Robin said.

If the proposed park is approved by the water district, it must also be approved by the Santee City Council.

Bill Adams, a city spokesman, said City Council members were skeptical of an earlier proposal to build the water park near the center of town. He said council members have yet to oppose the latest proposal to build it outside of downtown Santee.

Wet ‘n Wild’s Millay is no stranger to the world of amusement parks. He was the founder of Sea World. “George came up with the concept of building major theme parks that are water parks,” said Jan Schultz, a former Sea World president who is now a theme park consultant. “Before Wet ‘n Wild, there were parks with a couple of slides, but they were very minor things.”

Millay “has been working on a location in San Diego for years,” Schultz said. “He’s always wanted one in town.”

Schultz acknowledged that “one of the biggest issues is going to be water . . . but knowing George, he has a plan for that. Most of his parks recycle water, so the only water lost is through evaporation and spillage.”

The addition of a water park in Santee would bolster San Diego’s tourism industry, Schultz said. “The county, with two million people, has a big enough base to support three major attractions,” Schultz said. “We’ve got Sea World and the zoo . . . and a water park would be the third major attraction.”

Times staff writer Greg Johnson contributed to this report.