Birch Bay Waterslides cleared to open; two rides not yet approved for use
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Birch Bay Waterslides will reopen June 14 after passing a county reinspection.
- Two rides, the hydro drop and ramp slide, remain closed pending further repairs.
- Lawsuit from 2023 injury continues; three new parties added to legal proceedings.
Birch Bay Waterslides is officially set to reopen to the public June 14 after successfully passing a reinspection by Whatcom County staff.
All but two park features passed reinspection Friday, June 6, officials at Whatcom County Health and Community Services (WCHCS) told The Herald on Monday.
“Today’s visit is a reinspection to reinstate facility operating permits that were suspended on Aug. 29 and Sept. 1, 2023 as a result of an imminent public health threat involving failure of a splash guard panel for unknown reason, causing serious injury to a guest,” the inspection document states.
The water park closed its doors almost two years ago after a visitor was severely injured on one of the park’s waterslides, resulting in a lawsuit against the business.
“The successful reinspection comes after evaluation by a licensed engineer and fiberglass experts and completion of essential repairs identified by these experts,” WCHCS Communications Specialist Marie Junek said in a statement.
WCHCS approved operating permits for the children’s activity pool, river ride, black hole, spa, kiddie pool, and three tower slides, inspection documents show.
However, neither the hydro drop nor the ramp slide was approved as part of Friday’s reinspection, pending their repair or replacement. Inspection documents indicate the ramp slide will remain closed and will either be removed or restored for the 2026 season, as determined by fiberglass professionals.
“These features will be blocked off and remain closed to the public until they have passed reinspection,” Junek told The Herald.
Earlier violations cited in the Aug. 29, 2023, inspection report have also been corrected, according to inspection documents. Those improvements include:
▪ Removal of the “Hairpin” slide with the damaged splash guard that resulted in the 2023 park injury. The entrance to that slide is also blocked to public access.
▪ Monitoring and record-keeping of all facility maintenance, including water chemistry maintenance.
▪ Emergency response training documentation and plans, including a lifeguarding plan for certification and training.
Birch Bay Waterslides has been advertising a June reopening for months, along with advance 2025 ticket sales as part of its 40th anniversary season celebration. Operators also announced significant park upgrades, a partnership with a pizza business and a new ride coming online this season.
The park was required to obtain an operating permit to reopen, which would only be issued after the park’s operators requested and passed a reinspection by WCHCS.
Larry Baker was injured at Birch Bay Waterslides on Aug. 25, 2023, when his legs went through the side of the Hairpin, one of the four main slides at the water park in Blaine. Baker, who was 43 at the time of the injury, filed a civil tort lawsuit against the park owners on May 9, 2024. The original lawsuit stated that Baker “slid over a damaged or defective section, causing severe injury and other damages” and accused the park’s owners of negligence, stating that they had a duty to “keep the common areas of its property safe and properly maintained for the benefit of the customers.”
The owners of Birch Bay Waterslides denied any wrongdoing, saying that Baker acknowledged and accepted the risk of “severe physical injury” when entering the park. A formal request made by the water park owners to dismiss the lawsuit was denied at a court hearing in late 2024.
At the same hearing, a judge granted the injured party an allowance to add three more parties to the lawsuit, including Whatcom County Health and Community Services, Safe Slide Restoration, and Kingworks Consulting Engineers. Baker’s lawyers for say the added parties were “directly involved in the inspection, maintenance, and repairs of the waterslide equipment at the water park,” according to court documents. The lawsuit has yet to reach a conclusion.
