While visiting Magic Kingdom this morning, we stopped by the Rivers of America to check in on the project. As you may know, the Rivers of America closed permanently on July 7th, and since then, Imagineers have been marking props for removal ahead of demolition. Backstage, Disney finally moved the Liberty Belle riverboat out of the waterway connected to the Rivers of America. With the Liberty Belle now in a backstage service marina, Walt Disney World can begin the process of draining the Rivers of America.
Rivers of America Water Level Drops, but Draining Likely Hasn’t Begun
During our visit this morning, we noticed that the water level has dipped in the Rivers of America, but there are no signs yet that the river is being purposely drained. In recent aerial photos from Bioreconstruct of the area, there are no signs of the pump equipment that would be necessary to drain the river. That said, the former Rivers of America waterway is blocked from the Magic Kingdom service canal that used to feed it from the Seven Seas Lagoon.
While we don’t think that the Rivers of America is being actively pumped to be drained, the water level appears to be naturally dropping, possibly due to evaporation or even a leak somewhere. Without a large body of water to replenish it, the water level will continue to drop until Disney begins a proper drainage project or the water is all gone.
As you’ll see in the photos below, the water level has dropped some two feet. That’s a rather significant amount, but not nearly as much or as fast as the water level would drop if it were being actively pumped. In the past, we’ve seen the Rivers of America drained in days, not weeks.
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