The land where Wet Willie’s Water Slide was once located was owned by Roberto Flores and David J Moriaty. David J Moriaty leased the land to Wet Willie’s Water Slide in 1978. David J Moriaty sold part of the land to HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA for a future hospital. (Ref: Travis County Real Estate Records, Volume 6599, Page 1498)
Wet Willie's Water Slide was one of the three water parks and waterslides which opened in South Austin in the summer of 1978. The waterslide was on a hillside with a large parking lot out front and was located at the address of 1001 W Ben White Blvd. The water park was also known as Wet n Wild, Wet and Wild, and Wet Willie's Splish Splash. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37959292/south_austin_water_slides/)
Austin American Statesman reported that Wet Willie’s was a franchise but partially owned by Dr. Don Deeds of Georgetown and John Howard of Austin. John Howard was part owner of Wet Willie’s with 2 other people. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20083354/austin_americanstatesman/)
Wet Willie's Water Slide was designed and constructed using ground level concrete by Galen B. Pellham of Springfield, Missouri in 1978. Geography of the area was conducive to a ground level water slide. Despite being located on a hill, the water park did fairly well sales-wise. The walls were painted gray. It was a double water slide. (Ref: https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/aushc/00112/ahc-00112.html)
The water slide for Wet Willie's Water Slide was made out of concrete as many waterslide were during the 1970s. The concrete got scalding hot during the summer. Wet Willie’s Water Slide was the biggest of the 3 waterslides that were constructed in 1978. However Wet Willie’s Water Slide was the slowest of those 3 waterslides. 
To be able to ride on this water slide you had to walk up a giant hill. There were no stairs as is the case with other water slide. This water slide was sore of different. When you got to the bottom, you had to walk up a giant hill to ride the water slide again. Wet Willie's had the corner system where those who had 4 corner mats had to leave.
Skaters have gone skateboarding down Wet Willie's Water Slide when it was closed during the winter season. Some have even biked the water slides.
Many remember that Wet Willie's Water Slide was dangerous! Wet Willie's Water Slide was not free of any tragic incidents. There were a series of tragic incidents and accidents that occurred at this water park. More than 3 deaths occurred.
One example of an accident happening at this water park back is in 1978 when someone got severely injured trying to jump the wall of their lane on one of the turns. This incident led the owners to shut down the waterslide for 2 months.
Another example is when someone jumped the curve of the slide, went over the edge, and had died. That person got airborne at a very high altitude and could not be saved. The waterslides were shut down just 2 days later. Repaving work was done on the waterslide to ensure there would be less slickness. That way riders would not go airborne.
There was one other incident in late 1978 where a kid was severely injured on one of the slides. However this incident was reported be accidental. Nobody would insure them after that.
There have been a handful of incidents of people getting flipped on the turns. People would get flipped on one of the turns which led them to go backwards the rest of the way. Some reported having broken bones in several places of their body during these turns and flips. This happened multiple times for some people.
People reported having several injuries after riding both of their water slides. Several people received multiple bruises and scars riding both slides as they were made out of concrete. Many got blisters while going down the slide. The concrete would reach a scalding hot temperature during summer. The hot temperature burned many riders.
Tragedy struck at this water park in late 1978 when kid was severely injured on one of the slides while attempting to jump the curves Nobody would insure them after that. So the owners shut down Wet Willie's Water Slide for 2 years until 1980 when Wet Willie's Water Slide would be renamed to Splish Splash Water Slide.
Wet Willie's Water Slide was renamed to Splish Splash Water Slide and later reopened in 1980. Austin American-Statesman ran a series of ads sponsoring Splish Splash Water Slide during the summer of 1980. The water slide was just one single water slide with a length of over 1,400 feet. Admission for children under 12 was $3 dollars all day. The owners offered group rates too. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58378813/splish-splash-waterslide/)
Austin American-Statesman listed the address for Splish Splash Water Slide listed as 1001 W. Ben White with the phone number being 512-441-8279. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/379173614/)
David J Moriaty sold some of the land to HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA for the construction of a future hospital in 1981. Splish Splash Water Slide continued to operate as a business. (Ref: Travis County Real Estate Records, Volume 6599, Page 1499)
HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA sued Wet Willie's Water Slide for
declaratory relief, damages for breach of contract, and attorney’s fees
in late 1981. That is what the lawsuit filed against Wet Willie’s was
for. Damages. (Ref: Travis County Real Estate Records, Volume 7621, Page
663)
The water slide for Wet Willie's Water Slide had been painted for a special occasion in 1982. Austin American-Statesman reported that the water slide at Wet Willie's Water Slide was being painted in preparation for the traditional 'splash day' which was during Memorial Day. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37966929/wet-willys-water-slide/, Austin American-Statesman Saturday, May 29, 1982)
However Wet Willie's Water Slide would not stay open for very long.
In 1983, someone jumped the curve of the slide and got airborne at a very high altitude. The person went over the edge and died. The whole waterpark closed not too long after that incident. This incident led Wet Willie's Water Slide to be shut down in late 1983. The death of this person and the new wave of water parks in the area are what killed Wet Willie's Water Slide. It was sad for Wet Willie's Water Slide.
David J Moriaty sold the rest of the land where Wet Willie’s Water Slide was once located to HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA on the date of 3/28/1983 in a cash deed for an undisclosed amount of money. (Ref: Travis County Real Estate Records, Volume 8034, Page 267)
HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA had the land cleared for a hospital called St. David's South Austin Medical Center (then South Austin Hospital/S.A. MEDICAL CENTER INC) to be built. The water slides were removed afterwards.
The State of Texas involuntarily ended their Wet Willie's Water Slide franchise by an act of forfeiture on the date of February 20, 1984 because no one would provide them insurance. That’s why Wet Willie's Water Slide was forced to file for forfeiture and later dissolved. (Ref: https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_tx/0043037200)
The waterslides were left up for a short time and were used for a short period of time before construction of St. David's South Austin Medical Center (then South Austin Hospital). People used the waterslides to skate and bike on. Skaters have gone skateboarding down Wet Willie's Water Slide when it closed. Some have even biked the water slides. Soon both waterslides were covered with graffiti.
Both water slides were bulldozed during an expansion of the hospital. All that remained in 1984 was an empty field of dirt and grass. Dirt and grass were hauled by a dump truck. Grass and dirt were placed over where the concrete slab of the waterslide was. All remnants of Wet Willie's Water Slide were removed by 1985.
St. David's South Austin Medical Center is now located where Wet Willie's Water Slide once was. Only the storage building, pumps, and a water meter remain. The storage building is where the water meter is located and where the slides used to be. The pumps for Wet Willie’s Water Slide are located in the lower part of the parking garage for St. David's South Austin Medical Center.
Wet Willie's Water Slide was located at 1001 West Ben White Boulevard, Austin, Texas, US 78745.
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