Rocky Gorge Reservoir Boat Ramps Closed

[Howard Hartman]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 28, 2008

Rocky Gorge Reservoir Boat Ramps Closed

Low water and maintenance lead to recreation restrictions

LAUREL, MD (August 28, 2008): The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) announced today the closing of all boat ramps at the Rocky Gorge Reservoir - Supplee Lane and Scott’s Cove - due to low water and maintenance work at the dam.

The boat ramps are expected to be closed for at least a month. The Supplee Lane parking lot and surrounding area also will be closed. Kayakers and others who can put their boats into the water without a ramp may continue to use Scott’s Cove.

The boat ramps at Triadelphia Reservoir – Greenbridge and Triadelphia Lake Road - will remain open for the 2008 season.

For safety and security reasons, WSSC’s Brown’s Bridge, Pigtail and Big Branch ramp sites will remain closed for the 2008 season.

Visitors to the WSSC’s watershed pay a fee for fishing from portions of the reservoirs’ shorelines; fishing and recreational boating on large areas of the reservoirs; mooring of personal boats; horseback riding on designated bridle trails; and hunting in specific areas. No fee is charged for using the picnic areas. Interested parties pay a Watershed Use Permit fee ($3.00 daily, $30.00 annual) to participate in recreational activity on the watershed. An additional $20.00 is charged to moor a boat at a watershed site.

Permits can be purchased at the Brighton Dam Information Center, 2 Brighton Dam Road, Brookville, Maryland, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m., including holidays and weekends or at the Cashier’s Office, 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland, 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Information Center is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. For more information, call the WSSC’s Brighton Dam facility at 301-774-9124.