Grayson County Judge-Executive Kevin Henderson noted during his daily coronavirus (COVID-19) briefing on Monday that the campgrounds at Rough River Dam State Resort Park and Nolin River Lake will be closed until at least May 31.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-managed campgrounds in Kentucky will remain closed through at least May 31 in the interest of public safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Army Corps officials.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a press release detailing campground closures:
While an official date for the reopening of campgrounds and day use areas has not yet been determined, effective Monday, April 27, all campground reservations will be cancelled for the month of May.
Individuals with paid reservations will be contacted by email and full refunds will automatically be processed by recreation.gov with no cancellation fees. Individuals should not attempt to contact recreation.gov nor request a refund, or a cancellation fee may be charged.
This affects all Corps-managed campgrounds at the following Louisville District Lakes in Kentucky: Green River Lake, Nolin River Lake, Barren River Lake, Rough River Lake, Buckhorn Lake, and Carr Creek Lake.
Other USACE lakes in the state of Kentucky are managed by the Nashville and Huntington Districts and may have different policies in place for the reopening of their campgrounds.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this causes to our recreating community,” said Tim Fudge, Louisville District Operations Division Chief. “I can assure you these decisions have not been made lightly, but have been made in the interest of public safety. The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and contractors who manage these campground facilities is our highest priority. We appreciate the patience and understanding during these unprecedented times and look forward to welcoming everyone back as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
USACE reminds all visitors to follow these steps to recreate responsibly: honor the 6-foot social distance rule, stay away from parks and recreation areas if you are sick or have symptoms, keep parks clean by practicing “pack in and pack out” etiquette, and always wear a life jacket when near the water.
A determination has not yet been made for when campgrounds and recreational areas will reopen to the public. USACE Louisville District continues to assess the situation and is developing a phased reopening approach in alignment with current federal, state and CDC guidance. We will share those updates with the public as they become available.
For a list of the latest recreational area closures in the Louisville District visit: https://go.usa.gov/xvP3h
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District updates can also be found at www.lrl.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at facebook.com/louisvilleusace and on Twitter at twitter.com/louisvilleusace.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
