Cedar Fair to Buy Water Park

Cedar Fair LP, the Ohio-based owner of Knott’s Berry Farm, has agreed to buy White Water Canyon, a 33-acre water park near San Diego that comes with 32 acres of adjacent land for future expansion, the company said Thursday.

The Chula Vista water park, which resembles a Wild West gold-mining town, has 20 attractions including 16 water slides, a large wave pool and a “lazy river.”

Opened in 1997, the development fell into bankruptcy proceedings a year later. Cedar Fair spokesman Brian Witherow said the partnership is working out a final agreement to buy White Water Canyon from Fremont Investment & Loan of Anaheim, which foreclosed on a loan to the park’s developers.

Cedar Fair also plans to open a $25.5-million water park with a Southern California surf theme next year beside Knott’s in Buena Park. Cedar Fair Chief Executive Richard Kinzel said in a statement that the water parks outside its flagship Cedar Point theme park in Sandusky, Ohio, and Worlds of Fun theme park in Kansas City, Mo., have been highly successful.

“We believe that further expansion in this area represents a good opportunity for growth,” Kinzel said. “The addition of White Water Canyon, along with our previously announced plans to build Soak City USA at Knott’s Berry Farm for the 2000 season, will give us four individually operated water parks to complement our five amusement parks next season.”

Terms of Cedar Fair’s agreement to buy the water park were not disclosed. Officials said the deal is subject to a number of conditions before it becomes final.