6 things you should know about Idaho’s Roaring Springs Waterpark – Daily News

A potato-shaped bucket called a Tippin’ Tater pours water over visitors. The Idaho attraction is part of the recent expansion efforts of Roaring Springs Waterpark. The park in Meridian, Idaho, is the largest water park in the Northwest. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman/TNS)

Elena Gastaldo | (TNS) The Idaho Statesman

A giant tipping potato bucket called a Tippin’ Tater that holds 750 gallons of water. A grumpy lifeguard buck keeping an eye on everyone. Two bear cubs sliding down a log. Bluebirds on a diving board.

Camp IdaH2O, the newest addition to Roaring Springs Waterpark, is a celebration of life in the Pacific Northwest, says Tiffany Quilici, the waterpark’s marketing director.

Meridian is home to the largest water park in the Northwest. And it just turned 25 years old.

Here are six things you should know about the park:

1. It employs hundreds of teenagers.

Roaring Springs is the largest employer of young adults in the Treasure Valley, employing 700 people. About 200 of them are lifeguards who rotate from one attraction to the next every 20 to 30 minutes. “It really helps keep them alert and attentive,” Quilici said.

Lifeguards show up around 9:30 a.m. and test all attractions to make sure they are safe for visitors.

Only 10 employees work full-time all year round.

Quilici said it is a privilege that the park is the first place of employment for many teenagers in the Valley. “We can educate them and give them all the qualities they need to achieve their dreams for the future,” Quilici said.

The water park is open from mid-May to mid-September and has welcomed 6 million visitors in the last 25 years of operation.

2. It consumes a lot of water, which must be kept clean.

On a typical day, the park’s operations team begins work at 6 a.m., including deploying a crew of pressure washers to clean the concrete.

Roaring Springs uses 1.5 million gallons of City of Meridian water, which circulates through the water park all season long. That’s enough to cover a football field 3½ feet high. Like all of the City of Meridian’s water, it comes from the aquiferous soil and rock of the Snake River Plain aquifer that underlies Ada County.

A certain amount of water is lost through evaporation and by people leaving the pools and rides, so extra water is used every day. Aaron Forsythe, the water park’s operations manager, said the park takes in 10,000 to 15,000 gallons of water a day, but “it’s hard to measure” exactly how much is lost.

Quilici said staff were “extremely vigilant about leaks in the pools and slides.”

The water is run through huge sand filter tanks and a chemical process to keep it clean. Quilici said the park also has ultraviolet light that kills “all the bacteria” in the water.

When asked about the park’s sustainability efforts, Quilici said there are “certainly some modern energy efficiency devices installed to keep the pumps and motors running optimally.” Deck drains at the end of the slides are also used to collect and reuse water, Forsythe said.

3. It uses a network of surveillance cameras.

Roaring Springs was the first outdoor water park in the country to install the Ellis Aquatic Vigilance System powered by artificial intelligence and video analytics, a technology that uses a special algorithm to analyze digital video and provide safety-related services.

Cameras are installed throughout the park. They can see underwater. Roaring Springs has two command centers with staff who are alerted by radio if one of the cameras detects danger.

Forsythe said Roaring Springs uses the cameras as an “additional layer of security” in addition to lifeguards.

4. These young employees get free tickets and parties.

Employees receive a free season pass, numerous half-price tickets for friends and family, and can attend work-related parties “to make it a really fun social experience,” Quilici said.

Roaring Springs also offers a scholarship program for college-bound employees. Quilici said about $30,000 in scholarships were awarded last year.

5. Are you missing your dentures or your wedding ring?

Park staff find lost items daily. Some of the more unusual finds include a hammer, dentures and a wedding ring. To get their belongings back, guests fill out a form and have a week to pick them up. The park donates unclaimed items, Quilici said.

6. New attractions are planned.

Roaring Springs recently opened Class 5 Canyon, the Northwest’s first wave river that simulates a whitewater experience.

Quilici and CEO Pat Morandi travel around the country and sometimes the world to try out new rides, get inspiration from other water parks and bring ideas for new attractions back to Idaho.

Camp IdaH2O is just the first of seven phases of Roaring Springs’ expansion plan. Over the next decade, a new major water attraction will be added every two to three years, Quilici said.

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