For the first time in several years, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission has delayed opening its recreational facilities.
The commission, which provides water to nearly 2 million Prince George’s and Montgomery County customers, was supposed to open its public reservoirs on Thursday. But officials decided to push that off for at least a half-week because most of the waterways remain covered with ice from the recent storms.
According to agency spokeswomen, the ice on Thursday was blanketing the two main reservoirs the WSSC maintains for recreational pursuits, which makes it impossible to launch boats.
“The reservoirs are not safe for public access right now,” said Dawn Forsythe, WSSC’s community outreach manager in a statement. “If we had an emergency on the water, we would not be able to launch rescue equipment from the shores, and that would be unacceptable for public safety.”
Spokeswoman Lyn Riggins said WSSC’s environmental unit supervisor will inspect the reservoirs for ice Monday. Then, if the waterways are clear, the areas can open.
Riggins said she thought it had been seven years since the agency was forced to delay opening public recreation facilities due to weather concerns.
The Rocky Gorge and Triadelphia reservoirs span 1,610 acres on the borders of Montgomery, Prince George’s and Howard counties.
The reservoirs are used by boaters, and people picnic and horseback ride on the shores. Riggins said WSSC does not keep track of the amount of recreational activity at the reservoirs but that it is heaviest during the summer.
