Disney World filling in abandoned River Country pool

Resort's first water park closed its doors in 2002

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – After being abandoned and rotting for over a decade, the Walt Disney World resort is finally draining and filling in the pool at its first water park.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Disney will be filling in the 333,000 gallon pool at the long shuttered River Country water park.

Recommended Videos



Opened in 1976, River Country was the resort's very first water park, but closed down in 2002 after the opening of Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

While Disney has not announced why they're finally getting around to filling in the pool, it's thought that it will remove a possible hazard just months after a young boy was killed by an alligator on the beach at a resort hotel.

With the number of transmissions of Zika growing in Florida, the project will also remove a source of standing water where mosquitoes that carry the virus can breed.

Despite its closure, River Country was never demolished and Disney left it to rot under the Florida sun and deteriorate in the heat and humidity.

The site is popular with adventure seekers who break into the closed off area of the park to take pictures of the structures that remain standing.