ABQjournal: All Dried Up: Beach Waterpark shuttered and for saleBy Charlotte Balcomb Lane, Journal Staff Writer

Every June since 1987, the lines snaking up the big blue slide at The Beach Waterpark have been a symbol of summer in Albuquerque.

Not this June.

The 17-acre water park located at Montaño and Interstate 25 is closed, and the property is for sale. Weeds are growing through cracks in the sidewalk, and the pools are empty and bleached in the sun.

Actually, the Beach has from the beginning been a symbol of our inability to accept we live in a desert with limited water.

When the Beach was announced 18 years ago, I sent a letter to the editor about the insanity. A client of mines scoffed, “we have an aquifer under the city that will last 1,000 years.” Now, he’s gone and so are the aquifer and the Beach.

By the way, I hope someone is doing a study of skin cancer rates among Beach patrons. mjh