In some of the photos that were shared somewhere on FB recently you could see that some of the channel has been stained. I'm sure they'll do the rest before it opens. I don't think they've even built the tower yet, or at last they hadn't as of a couple weeks ago. I think the video was just a test of the pumps.
Lol at the age old "SDC is losing it's character" debate. After almost 15 years of this site, it should be clear by now that the park is simply going to keep evolving. The time to gripe about it was back when they built Wildfire.
I for one, love the effort they go through to keep the SDC spirit alive while constantly raising the bar for new attractions and having to contort themselves to the ever changing whims of modern park goers. You guys know the theme of Mystic River is marvel caves/ozarks, right? They could have done any number of focus-group approved cartoony themes, but they bent over backwards to create a beautiful representation of the Ozarks and the park's history while also building a kickass new ride.
Yes, there are probably going to be wider pathways and a few less trees this year, and that kind of sucks, but we have to live with it. After being stuck in a down-right dangerous crowd for 30mins last Christmas with literally no way to escape, I'm ready to accept it. The park has outgrown itself and it is time to upgrade or die.