Staff Reports
BROWN COUNTY — The campgrounds, cabins and Abe Martin Lodge have reopened at Brown County State Park, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Modern restrooms and drinking fountains are open. The park’s public pool was expected to open at noon on its regular schedule. Abe Martin Lodge’s Little Gem restaurant was expected to resume its normal schedules for lunch and dinner, the DNR said.
The horsemen’s campground is open, but horse trails are still being assessed for storm damage. Mountain bike trails remain closed and are being assessed as well. Some hiking trails remain closed due to flooding damage to boardwalks and staircases, the DNR said.
Campsites and inn rooms are available for this weekend, and the inn’s aquatic center will be open.
Abe Martin Lodge, pools, modern restrooms, and drinking fountains have been closed since June 17 due to the amount of sediment that washed into Ogle Lake along with torrential rains. Ogle Lake is the park’s water supply, and sediment impacted the filters in the water treatment facility, the DNR said.
Limited day use was permitted beginning Monday, with no potable water supply. A team of DNR and IDEM staff and consultants have worked around the clock to filter out the sediment and produce enough potable water to reopen the lodge and campground.
Two mobile, pre-treatment units continue to filter the water before it reaches the park’s treatment plant. Water production capacity has returned to normal and all required potable water tests have been completed successfully, the DNR said.
