Date: January 18, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Andrew Madsen (805) 961-5759
Lynn Olson (831) 385-5434

Los Padres National Forest
6755 Hollister Ave. #150
Goleta, CA 93117
http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf

Water Shut Off at Kirk Creek Campground

GOLETA, CA…Los Padres National Forest officials have announced that Kirk Creek Campground on the Monterey Ranger District will convert to a dry campground effective today. Visitors to the camp site are encouraged to bring an adequate amount of water for use during their stay.

Over the years, the Forest Service has taken a number of steps to upgrade Kirk Creek’s water treatment system in order to meet the State of California’s water quality standards. When these efforts failed to improve water quality, the decision was made to shut down the Kirk Creek water system to reduce the potential for public healthy and safety issues.

Two new vault toilets were installed to replace the antiquated, flush-toilet restrooms in anticipation of the water shut-off.

“After exploring our options and assessing the impacts, we have determined the best course of action is to shut off the water as a precaution,” said Monterey District Ranger Tim Short. “While I understand this will inconvenience our visitors, the public safety aspect simply outweighs the alternative.”

Kirk Creek Campground was originally constructed in the early 1960s to provide year-round, single-family vehicle camping along the Monterey County coast. The campground includes thirty-three campsites configured around two intersecting loops. Over time, several of the sites were modified to allow for recreation vehicle and multi-family camping.

For more information, please contact the Monterey Ranger District at (831) 385-5434, or on-line at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf.