Water Works is great for what it is- a place to go on a hot day when you need to cool off. Yes, it's crowded but what do you expect? It's a pretty decent size and there isn't much around the area that competes so yes, it'll be busy.
The pools were crowded but not bad. We were able to go down all the rides in a pretty decent amount of time. The lazy river wasn't too crowded but we did need to wait since they do somewhat of a crowd control in there. Also, lap lanes were open for those who wanted more deep water.
The grass areas- well not much of it. It's pretty much dirt so that sucked but I'm ehre for the water, not grass.
Also, you can bring in a cooler of your own food/drinks.