The Carlsbad Water Park will be open on the Fourth of July, weather permitting. While the water park is normally closed on Mondays, we do make an exception on holidays. Park hours will be 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and admission will be $5. As a reminder, guests who are under four, or age 62 and over, are free. Other popular areas to cool off include the Lake Carlsbad swimming area (also weather permitting) and the splash pad.
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Carlsbad has a very close-knit relationship with the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Natives to this community and long-term residents are generally extremely supportive of this facility and its mission. There are many new residents to Carlsbad, however, who may not know too much about this important facility.
WIPP, the nation’s only repository for the disposal of transuranic waste, is aiming to offer more opportunities for people to learn about the project. For example, an educational tour of WIPP is being offered on July 16, with reservations needed by July 5. To sign up for this tour, please email infocntr@wipp.ws or call 1-800-336-WIPP. If that date doesn’t work, a “statewide” tour is being offered on July 23, with reservations needed by July 15. Space is limited, so please contact WIPP soon if this interests you.
Disposal of TRU waste 2,150 underground is critical to the nation’s defense mission, and one of the reasons we support WIPP. If you can’t make either tour, WIPP is offering a virtual component to an open house taking place at 5:30 p.m. on July 7 at the Santa Fe Convention Center. Thank you to the Department of Energy and its contractors for providing these opportunities.
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We’ve also recently received some very good news from Guadalupe Mountains National Park, thanks to the rain. Effective Wednesday, most areas of the park, including the McKittrick Canyon trails, the Pine Springs Area and trails in the Guadalupe Mountains Wilderness, are now back open. Many of the park’s trails had been closed due to the drought.
Some areas, including the Dog Canyon area, remain closed. Wilderness camping permits are also still not being issued. A recent economy study showed that Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park are responsible for hundreds of jobs in our area. In addition to the job creation, we’re certainly very proud to have two beautiful national parks in our area.
For more updated information about trails at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, please visit www.nps.gov/gumo.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway