The future of a popular North Carolina campground hinges on waste. In the words of a plainspoken Forest Service district ranger, Rocky Bluff Campground’s potential for reopening hangs on “poop and pee.”
Campground closure went from “temporary” to “indefinite”
Late last month, the U.S. Forest Service said it was closing Rocky Bluff Campground and picnic area in Hot Springs, North Carolina. Area residents were mystified. Now they’re upset, as the “temporary” closure has moved to the “indefinitely” range because of “multiple maintenance issues.”
Jennifer Barnhart explained the reasons behind the 1960’s era campground’s closure. Barnhart is the Appalachian district ranger and gave the rundown at a Madison County Board of Commissioners meeting on August 13.
As reported by the Citizens Times, Barnhart pulled no punches about the Service’s decision. “‘Yes, this is an area, I know folks, it’s near and dear, if you’re a local … you’ve spent time in Rocky Bluff Campground,’” the media outlet reported.
“‘It’s a great site. Unfortunately, with all the different maintenance issues over the years, the infrastructure has aged out.’ ‘A lot of the stuff is the sites, the roads, septic tank and water distribution system, and the cost that it would take in order to get that back up and running,” Barnhart said. “Last year, we even did port-o-potties, so folks could still continue to use the campground. At that point, we’re making deficit money. So, it’s not a good business plan at this point.’
“‘The bathroom engineering, no one can go in there. It’s not safe.’”
“Aged out” bathrooms and underlying infrastructure
And that is the essence of the matter. The bathroom is “aged out” and repair costs would exceed what Uncle Sam could expect to get back in user fees. The Service said it saw “substantial deferred maintenance, including broken asphalt, leaks in the water distribution system and a restroom with failing plumbing and a roof beyond repair.” Typically only 40% of the 17 campsites are used, bringing in annual revenues of $5,000 to $8,000.
The story continued with the manager’s blunt assessment. “‘But it comes down to poop and pee. You’ve got to have a bathroom if you have people there. So that’s the biggest thing. There isn’t money, because the district that I serve on, we don’t have any fee sites, except for Black Mountain Campground, which is run by a concessionaire. And again, it has to be profitable. Rocky Bluff would be something that they wouldn’t even touch at this point.’”
We’re not sure if the Service thought of self-contained RVs when putting together their calculations. While the lack of a public privy wouldn’t help tenters, boondocking RVers already have that issue down cold.
The Forest Service has come up with a list of its own options
- Decommission the campground. Turn it into a day-use trailhead for an existing nature trail. That could take up to five years to fully work out.
- Some “entity” (undefined at this point) pumps tons of money into the site to get it back up to usefulness. The Forest Service would still own the land, but the entity would operate the site, and reap any financial rewards. If that were possible, players would spend several years and jump through plenty of hoops.
- Drop the site as a campground, and allow it to be used for something else—not requiring a bathroom. That situation could play out in about a year.
In any scenario, the campground closure is a done deal. Reopening it sounds like a long-term pipe-dream. The kind of pipes where, you know, “stuff” is flushed down.
##RVT1170b
Designate it as a shelter for people crossing the border illegally and watch how fast the federal government can put up a 5-star hotel.
NOT nice!
Agreed, but it’s almost reality now Bob. Our State gov’t. out here in Ca. plays like Robin Hood.
How many families of illegals have you opened your home to? Asking for a friend.
There was a time in the 20th century when taxpayers simply expected that part of their taxes would go to maintaining public areas including national parks and camping sites. The facilities were not as “fancy” then as they are now, but they did the job. The labor costs of emptying tank-type toilets or relocating outhouses were picked up by part of that taxpayer money.
Maybe that money is funding the continued homeless encampments around the country.
There is not one billionaire that can’t drop a little bit of pocket change to help out?
Too bad. There was grant money and a funding source that was suppose to aid these campgrounds and redo the facilities last year. What happened to all of that?
Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Sad to learn that a campground is closed due to deferred maintenance. I wonder where the money went if not to repairing and maintaining stuff? Thanks again, have a great weekend, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
No matter how you use it. You need bathrooms. Quit giving our money to other countries and there would be money to fix it.
I fear this fate awaits many, many campgrounds that were built by the corps. The sites are often just large enough for a pop-up tent and the roads too narrow for anything bigger but they’re quaint and quite popular.
It’s frustrating to think prior generations funded building sites from scratch yet our generation squanders tax revenues with such indifference, there’s not enough to pump out a simple vault toilet. It isn’t “deferred maintenance”, it’s neglect.