The National Park Service is putting its water shortage action plan into effect, following the state’s call to cease withdrawing water from Annie Creek. Crater Lake National Park staff are asking all visitors and employees to use water wisely during the water supply shortage. "We are doing everything we can to remain open with limited water service,” said Craig Ackerman, superintendent of Crater Lake National Park. “We need our visitors’ support and assistance to conserve water by heeding our water saving tips.”
Those tips include:
- Visitors can bring their own drinking water
- Overnight lodgers can take shorter showers, turn off the water while brushing their teeth and reuse sheets and towels to cut down on laundry.
Over the past several years, the Park Service has installed low-flow fixtures including toilets, shower heads, faucets, and washing machines in park facilities and residences. Since 2005, Xanterra Parks & Resorts has been replacing standard fixtures in concession facilities with low-flow models. The company has also modified operations to reduce water consumption.
Additionally, the Park Service is in the process of constructing a well that uses ground water rather than drawing from the surface water of Annie Creek. Once the well is completed later in 2017, the park will have an alternative source of water to use during times of surface water shortages.
For more information about Crater Lake’s water shortage action plan, please go to
https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/water-shortage-frequently-asked-questions.htm. For tips on water conservation when visiting the park, check out
https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/water-conservation.htm.
