Hunting for water …

Thousand Trails shuts off water to campground
MEEKER — When Ron Boyd and Ken Muth arrived Oct. 15 at their campground for the second rifle season, they received a surprise — no water.
“I don’t know why the water is shutoff,” said Boyd, who is from Ogden, Utah. “We’ve heard all kinds of stories. But they pulled the pump handles. The first rifle season didn’t have any water, either, we understand.”
The hunters weren’t happy about the situation.
“We’ve been coming up here hunting for 22 years, and this is the first year we’ve had a problem,” said Muth, who is from the Knoxville, Tenn., area. “I spent $2,000 to get out here and then to find out there’s no water, it’s real inconvenient. Fritzlan’s, fortunately, they were nice enough to let us have water, but we had to haul it five miles (to the campground).”
Lynn Lockwood of the U.S. Forest Service said she was sorry about the no-water problem.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused hunters and recreationists using the Blanco District’s campgrounds,” Lockwood said.
She explained the campgrounds in the Blanco District are administered by a concessionaire called Thousand Trails Management Systems.
“This year, Thousand Trails shut down the campground water systems several weeks early,” Lockwood said. “Our personnel approved Thousand Trails’ operating plan last spring and did not catch the date change until the water was shut down early this month.”
She said signs had been posted around town to alert hunters to the situation.
“We will scrutinize Thousand Trails’ future plans to ensure that water will be provided late in the season, as the weather allows,” Lockwood said.
Town Administrator Sharon Day said water can be purchased at the town’s bulk water plant on Third Street. There is a minimum charge of $4.40.
“They have to have their own container,” Day said. “And they need to come to town hall first and ask for a card (to purchase water).”
Muth said he would miss the campground water.
“It’s the best damn water in the world,” he said.