Impacts of Great American Outdoors Act in Rocky Mountain

Rocky Mountain National Park posted this on their social media yesterday:

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), legislation passed in 2020 to fund long-deferred maintenance and infrastructure projects in national parks across the country.

At Rocky Mountain National Park, GAOA funding has made the Moraine Park Campground and Headquarters East Utility Rehabilitation Project possible. This ongoing effort is addressing critical repairs to aging water, wastewater, and electrical systems in and around Moraine Park. These systems also serve key facilities such as the Moraine Park Discovery Center, Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, and Park Headquarters.

The project includes replacing deteriorating water and wastewater lines, expanding water storage capacity with larger tanks, upgrading the park’s water treatment plant with modern technology, and improving and relocating electrical distribution systems. Within Moraine Park Campground, the project also relocated campsites out of flood-prone and wetland areas and improved accessibility at 19 campsites by adding concrete parking pads, new extended-top picnic tables, and elevated fire rings.

To reduce wildfire risk and prevent damage from snow and wind, electric power lines have been buried underground. The project also added modern electrical hook-ups (20, 30, and 50 amp) to 49 campsites in B and C Loops to better meet the needs of today’s campers.

Much of this infrastructure dates back to the 1960s and had far exceeded its expected service life. Increased visitation, changing recreation trends, accessibility needs, and aging utilities all contributed to the need for this comprehensive rehabilitation project.

Thanks to the GAOA, Rocky Mountain National Park is making improvements that will serve visitors and staff for decades to come.