A US$20m (£13m, €18m) South Carolina waterpark has been given the green light, and is expected to be one of the largest in the state.

The waterpark, which will be built in Richland County and is slated to open on Memorial Day 2017, will have a a wave pool, lazy river, tube slide complex and children’s aquatic play structures.

The project is set to be a major attraction for the area, after a vote was passed to pay for the waterpark with funds raised from the county’s two per cent tax on prepared meals. The council said that US$5m has been set aside from that hospitality tax, and the rest of the money will be borrowed and paid back over a 20-year term.

“We feel that the park will pay for itself,” Richland County Council chair Torrey Rush told local press. “If we’re attracting world-class people and companies to our state and our county, we’ve got to have the amenities to compete with other areas.”

The construction contract has been awarded to an as yet undisclosed company. A feasibility study estimated 190,000 visitors will visit the park annually.