Lakes managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hit by closures, one California lake affected so far
BY MIKE STEVENS
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Heading into Memorial Day Weekend, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced via that several parks and boat docks will be temporarily closed. The most significant closures (full or partial) were reported in Oklahoma, Georgia and Pennsylvania, and while a fair amount have reopened, California boaters and anglers should keep an eye on lakes managed by the USACE before making plans to recreate there this summer. Those waters include but are not limited to: Isabella Lake, Success Lake, Kaweah Lake, Pine Flat Lake, New Hogan Lake, Eastman and Hensley lakes.
So far, several areas of one California lake has been shut down according to a press release from the USACE Sacramento District that said,
Three recreation areas at Black Butte Lake will temporarily close for the 2025 recreation season on May 19, 2025, due to limited staffing availability.
Without sufficient staffing, measures must be taken to ensure the safety of visitors, protection of environmental resources, and to maintain the wellbeing of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel and assets. The three recreation areas impacted by the closures include:
- Buckhorn Recreation Area and Buckhorn Campground
- Eagle Pass Recreation Area
- Orland Buttes Recreation Area and Orland Buttes Campground
These temporary closures will also allow us to focus our remaining staff at this critical site on the primary mission of operating and maintaining Black Butte Dam and Lake.
USACE is committed to reopening these areas and resuming full operations at Black Butte Lake as soon as conditions allow. Burris Creek and Grizzly Flat recreation areas as well as Observation Point will remain open.
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages staffing for our recreation mission to ensure we meet the needs of nearly 2,600 recreation areas across 400 lakes and waterways,” said Stephen L. Hill, USACE director of Operations and Regulatory Programs. “In response to current staffing levels, we have launched the Recreation Operational Status webpage to provide the public with the most current information available about the operational status of recreation areas before visiting. Public safety and service quality continue to be our highest priorities. As we manage available resources, some sites may experience reduced operations or temporary closures. These difficult decisions are based on our ability to ensure visitors have a safe and consistent experience.”
Hill added, “These decisions are not made lightly because we understand the importance of USACE recreation areas to the public and their vacation plans, especially during the summer season.”
The Recreation Operational Status website to keep the public informed about the operational status of USACE recreation areas nationwide. The public can visit the website at corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil/nrm.cfm and click on any state for the current overall status of a recreation area and for the status of campgrounds, boat ramps and beaches owned and operated by USACE within the area. The site will be regularly updated with any status changes.
The website shows the status of recreation areas and associated campgrounds, boat ramps and beaches as fully operational, partially open and closed. USACE districts are maximizing available staff resources to keep recreation sites at least partially open and to ensure full closure of any site is a last resort. The site does not include information about the status of state, local- or vendor-operated parks, campgrounds, marinas or other facilities located on USACE project lands. The public will need to contact those facilities for information regarding their operating status.
Unrelated to the current situation, the USACE closed all parks and recreation facilities in California during the federal government shutdown in 2013. As of right now, USACE-managed lakes in the state are unaffected, but it’s something anglers, boaters, campers and day-use visitors should keep an eye on.
