U.S. Army Corps of Engineers preparing for possible government shutdown

Published Sept. 30, 2013

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (Sept. 30) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, is preparing for a potential federal government shutdown due to lack of funding. If unfunded on Oct. 1, shutdown of all activities other than excepted activities will occur. Excepted activities will be minimally staffed to protect against imminent threats to life and property or to continue support to maintain national security.

In the event of a shutdown, the following activities will continue to operate under a normal schedule: locks and dams on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers; reservoir operations of water control features at Saylorville, Red Rock and Coralville, Iowa; emergency response efforts; work directly funded by prior year appropriations; and other work deemed mission essential. All other activities will cease operation.

If a federal government shutdown occurs, effective Tuesday, Oct. 1, all Corps-operated campgrounds, day-use parks and boat ramps will close. Visitors camping at Corps campgrounds will be required to vacate by 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and no new visitors or reservations will be accepted until after the shutdown ends. We regret the impacts of these required actions on the recreating public, and will make every attempt to inform the public when these facilities reopen.

If shutdown, recreation customers may cancel their reservations for a full refund. Customers required to vacate campsites early will receive a partial refund for any unused portion of their reservations. As an alternative, customers may elect to leave reservations open for possible use after the shutdown ends. To request a refund please contact the reservation customer service at 1-888-448-1474 (TDD 1-877-833-6777). If the customer chooses to do nothing, the reservation service will automatically cancel reservations after their departure date during the shutdown period.

In the event of a shutdown, Corps parks leased to partner agencies and concessionaires will remain open, but cannot be supported by the Corps while the shutdown is in place.

The Rock Island District currently employs nearly 815 employees. If a shutdown occurs, approximately 340 employees of the 815 District employees will continue mission essential District work.


Release no. FY13-09-41