U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District has announced campground reservation cancellations in response to the coronavirus.
The Fort Worth District is in charge of Belton Lake, Waco Lake, and Whitney Lake among others.
The cancellations will not affect those campers already at the campgrounds.
USACE campgrounds that are currently open will honor active reservations through Sunday, March 22.
Individuals with reservations on or before March 22 will be able to camp for the entirety of their reservation. No new reservations will be accepted after March 22.
No new campers will be accepted at first-come, first-serve campsites effective Thursday, March 19, the statement said.
Campground reservations scheduled between March 23 and May 15 will be canceled. Refunds will be provided through Recreation One-Stop (1-877-444-6777 or recreation.gov). Reservations after May 15 will be reevaluated at a future date.
These measures are in addition to operational changes Fort Worth District announced earlier this week.
Those changes included:
- All USACE sponsored events, tournaments, volunteer activities and public meetings are cancelled until further notice.
- Special event or activity permits will not be issued; those permits that have already been granted will be considered for revocation based on the Center for Disease Control’s guidelines.
- Visitor centers and lake offices are closed to the public until further notice.
- Campgrounds that are currently closed will not reopen until further notice.
- Day use facilities, such as group shelters, are subject to evolving conditions and may not be available. Please call the local project for the latest information.
- Corps of Engineers personnel will no longer conduct site visits that require personal interactions for shoreline management activities until further notice.
These changes, officials said, are being made in an abundance of caution and to protect guests, volunteers and staff.
Guests planning to visit USACE lakes for any reason are encouraged to call the lake project office before planning their trip to obtain site-specific closures, such as parks and boat ramps.
More information can be found here.
