Buena Park, California - Knott’s Berry Farm made a very important announcement this past Monday, namely that it would be closing its signature water attraction, Perilous Plunge. The somewhat short-lived ride, at only 12 years, will be making its final splash at Knott’s over the Labor Day weekend, before being shut down and removed, according to the Orange County Register.

Knott’s General Manager Raffi Kaprelyan said he wanted to “give it a proper send-off,” by making the announcement early enough for people to be able to get their last ride on the attraction. The park has given no specific reason for the rides removal, but is already drumming up interest announcing that “future plans for the site are scheduled to be released shortly.

Perilous Plunge, which opened in September 2000, was the tallest and steepest water ride in the world at the time, standing 115 feet tall with a drop of 77.8°, and hit a top speed of approximately 53 mph. Despite this epic debut, the ride received a tarnished reputation just a year after its opening when a 40-year-old woman fell from the ride on the drop and was killed. Somehow the woman, who’s seat belt and lap bar were locked before leaving the station, came out of the ride’s restraint system and fell to her death. The ride was closed for 8 months for inspections and the restraints were updated with a four-point harness, followed by new boats with new restraints. But the new boats caused other maintenance problems for the ride, causing significant down time due to lift chain issues until 2007, at which point the ride has been operating normally.

The park confirmed the closure on its Facebook page, with the ride’s last day of operation coming on September 3, 2012, just shy of its 12-year anniversary. While the loss of any attraction always comes with much regret and sadness, Knott’s has made a point of stating that something will be occupying the space, so stay tuned for an announcement.