Castle Fun Park owner paying out of pocket to upgrade flood defences

As Abbotsford continues to dry out from last week's major floods, the damage at one hard-hit business is becoming clear.

As Abbotsford continues to dry out from last week’s flood, the damage at one hard-hit business is becoming clear—and so is the cost of restoration.

For the second time in four years, Castle Fun Park found itself surrounded by water, which also caused significant damage inside.

Fortunately, the water didn’t rise as high as it did in 2021, and this time staff were prepared.

At the first sign of trouble crews began pumping water out of the basement.

“There was probably 150-200,000 gallons per hour being heaved out of here. So, that takes an entire crew placing these pumps in strategic places. There were probably six or seven gas pumps going constantly,” said Brian Wiebe, whose parents opened the park in 1990.

They didn’t manage to keep all of the water out, but they did minimize the damage by keeping most of it contained to the aptly named “Underwater Adventure Golf” course.

Even before the water began to rise last week, Wiebe was already working on building up the park’s flood defences by constructing a berm around the low point where water has been entering the building.

Unfortunately, the work was not completed in time.

“You’re doing whatever it takes because you understand this is an annual event. And yes, this is hundreds of thousands of dollars out of our pocket,” Wiebe said.

Some sections of the park still haven’t re-opened since the 2021 flood.

The most recent closure couldn’t come at a worse time as schools are about to go on winter break.

Wiebe hopes to have some parts of the facility up and running for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

“We’re intending to open within days. But we understand we have to make it safe for the public. So, you see a lot of dehumidifiers and sanitation that’s going on. Stay tuned. We’ll be posting that to our socials,” he said.

In the meantime, work continues on the berm he hopes will hold the water back next time.