News Release

Catoctin Mountain Park will move forward with parkwide utility infrastructure replacement project

Date: December 8, 2021
Contact: Phillip S. Greenwalt, 240-385-2814

Thurmont, Md. – The National Park Service (NPS) will move forward with plans for a parkwide utility infrastructure replacement project at Catoctin Mountain Park. Through this project, the NPS will upgrade outdated utility systems to better meet today’s standards and improve the visitor experience.The plan will enable the park to make several improvements, including:

• Replace critical infrastructure parkwide, such as potable water, sanitary sewer and electrical with new systems that meet operational standards and regulatory requirements.

• Consolidate the water treatment and distribution system into a centralized location to improve systems efficiency and reliability.

• Improve the fire hydrant system to provide appropriate water flow and effective fire engine response to protect park assets and human safety.

• Upgrade the communication fiber optic network to allow remote monitoring of water systems.

The NPS completed an Environmental Assessment for Catoctin Mountain Park parkwide utility infrastructure replacement project in August 2021 and signed a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in November. The FONSI describes why the selected plan will have no significant effects on the environment, provides the rationale for the decision and outlines conservation measures that will be taken to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts. The FONSI and other planning documents are available at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=88406.

—NPS—