Olympic National Park (Washington) is continuously working to make improvements and rehabilitate Heart O’ the Hills campground and trail water and wastewater systems.
According to a report from the Peninsula Daily News, the campground and trail will be closed for part of next year, with work to begin in February.
However, according to Meagan Huff, public affairs specialist for the park, lingering winter weather may push the start date to March.
Huff said that the replacement of water lines would begin in February or March next year, weather permitting,
Huff added that the campground and hiking trail would be closed with the hope of opening as early as May or June.
The $3.1 million project will replace the 50-year-old pipes with plastic piping.
Park engineer Kerri Cook said the replacement would eliminate leaks and cut water production in half.
Additional aspects of the construction work include the rehabilitation of the wastewater and water treatment and storage infrastructure, jet cleaning and inspection of the sewer, and replacing the campground’s septic tank.
A portion of the funding will come from a congressional appropriations bill, the annual Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and recreation fees collected by ONP under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA).
According to its website, the campground has 105 sites with picnic tables and fire rings with grates, restrooms, potable water, one accessible site and restroom, and animal-proof food storage.
Olympic National Park offers 922,651 acres of rugged glacier-capped mountains, wild Pacific coast, and magnificent old-growth temperate rainforest.