Over the course of the ride’s history, Splash Mountain has been operated with no water for some portions of the ride. In this article, we will review situations where the ride was operated with no water and why Walt Disney World decided to do this. While this article discusses the Walt Disney World version of the attraction, the no water situation can happen at the other Splash Mountain rides in Disneyland California and Tokyo Disneyland

No Water – Why?

There have been documented cases where Splash Mountain was operated with no water for portions of the ride. The main area where water has been shut down while the ride was still running is at the big drop. In the past, the water flowing down the cliff has been turned off while the attraction was being operated. In that situation, water was still flowing in other areas of the ride. The reasons why there was no water for the big drop are unknown; however, it may have been due to a malfunction or some other reason.

Above photo of Splash Mountain with no water at Walt Disney World from the video by TPMvids below. Photo used under the fair-use provision.

Another time where water has been turned off for the ride include when the ride was undergoing refurbishment. In 2018, the attraction was being tested with no guests onboard, and there was no water flowing from the top of the big drop. A video of the tests with no water is featured below in the video player.

100 Percent No Water

Splash Mountain has not been operated with 100 percent no water because the ride would not be able to move without water in the main river systems. Splash Mountain mostly consists of a river system that allows the water log to follow downstream without the use of any additional power sources. The lifts and the drops are only areas where water is not needed to power the ride.

To learn more about Splash Mountain, please visit the other pages about the ride.