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Prevent Visitor Center parking lot flooding

Arches National Park » Prevent Visitor Center parking lot flooding » Document List

The Arches Visitor Center parking area serves nearly 800,000 visitors annually. The new visitor parking area was constructed in 2005 along with the new Visitor Center. The parking lot is located in rocky desert terrain and sees heavy rain water flows regularly during the Arches busy season (late summer and early fall). The design of the new visitor parking did not address the heavy runoff of stormwater due to the surrounding geography. The debris deposits and flooded parking area create safety hazards, cause interruptions to visitors and maintenance crews, and reduce parking.

Completion of this project would eliminate safety and liability concerns related to heavy water runoff for park visitors and vehicles. It would enable the park to provide better visitor services, reduce or eliminate interruptions, protect resources and infrastructure, and reduce time spent on maintenance clean ups. It would protect public and NPS investment in the property

This project would accomplish diverting rain water run off around the Arches Visitor Center parking area. A colored concrete wall needs to be constructed around the northwest side of the visitor parking area along the outer perimeter of the parking lot curb. The concrete wall would be approximately 550 feet long and 2 feet in height. The wall is needed to divert rain water around the parking area into a nearby wash and not through the parking area. The rain water that currently runs down from the surrounding rock and sand cliffs carries large amounts of dirt and rock debris into the visitor parking area. These materials are deposited, and cause safety hazards to visitors and their vehicles, and undue wear and tear to the parking lot surface and curbing.

Details include:
-Excavate, form, set rebar and pour approximately 550 feet of wall footing
-Form, set rebar, pour concrete wall
-Install approximately 20 feet of culvert.
-Trench a ditch along wall to direct water to existing wash.

Contact Information

Dave Wood 435-719-2133