Long-planned water park with 'a little of everything' may arrive in Riverhead by fall

More than 20 years after it was first proposed, the Island Water Park amusement attraction could be ready to open in Riverhead by late fall, according to those behind the project.

A 42.5-acre site on Middle Country Road in Calverton would house the water park and feature a 49,200-square-foot multipurpose building, a 6,000-square-foot multipurpose building and a 476,861-square-foot manmade lake, according to the site plan. Activities would include indoor surfing, rock climbing, a "Ninja Warrior"-style obstacle course and electric bumper boats with water cannons.

The town board will vote on the park’s preliminary site plan at its regular meeting Wednesday.

Eric Scott, president of Island Water Park and owner of Island Water Sports in Port Jefferson, told Newsday the park has been "a long time coming."

"It’s got a little of everything," Scott said. "And out here, there’s nothing for kids to do, so this is going to be groundbreaking for kids on Long Island. All we have is baseball fields and football fields. This is going to be surfboarding and Ninja Warrior parks."

Scott said he decided in 1998 to build the park and picked a site near the town’s former landfill on Youngs Avenue. The town approved the park in early 2003, but construction crews hit groundwater during excavation. This led to a legal battle between Scott and environmental groups over whether the park posed a danger to the local drinking water supply. Eventually, Scott, who said the delays were frustrating at times, sold the property.

Years later, Scott decided to try again with a new location.

"There were no real monkey wrenches until we looked for a site plan change for a bigger surfboard and a bigger patio…but we are fully permitted, and we just have to go for an amended site plan," Scott said.

While no strong objections were posed at the June 16 public hearing on the proposal, some residents asked about water quality at the proposed site. Reiterating what he told residents then, Scott told Newsday that the water and soil at the new site were tested and "it was all perfect."

Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar told Newsday last week that she thinks the park will be an economic driver for the local economy.

"The location will become a year-round, family-friendly destination for the East End, providing hundreds of employment opportunities with discounts provided to Riverhead residents," she said.