ROCKVILLE, MD-Repairs
to the Lake Needwood Dam, in Rock Creek Regional Park, began late last
month temporarily limiting public access to the park and closing a
portion of the park’s Westside Trail. Closures are expected to be in
place for the next three months.
“We appreciate the
public’s patience as we continue to make repairs to the Lake Needwood
Dam,” said Montgomery County Department of Parks Rock Creek Regional
Park Manager Jim Humerick.
The Westside Trail,
which parallels the western side of Lake Needwood is open, however
hikers cannot cross over the Lake Needwood Dam to access the park’s
picnic or boat rental areas from the trail. Public access to these park
areas is available by using the main park entrances at Needwood Road or
Avery Road. Access to the park’s Parilla Path is only available from
the Westside Trail. There is no access to the park’s picnic areas from
Parilla Path because crossing over the dam is prohibited.
The Department of
Parks has employed a specialty contractor to install a grout curtain
below the Needwood Dam to reduce seepage through the dam’s rock
foundation. This is the first phase of the overall remedial measures
program initiated for the dam following last summer’s significant
storms and is expected to take approximately three months to complete.
The second phase will occur later this summer and will also temporarily
impact trail access in the park.
For trail maps to
plan alternate routes see www.MontgomeryTrails.org. Or, for questions
about the construction project contact Department of Parks Construction
Manager Andy Frank at 301-650-2886.