By: Justin Haag
Box Butte State Reservoir State Recreation Area soon will have capacity to accommodate more campers. Those campers even will have a new facility for cleaning up during their stay.
Workers soon will begin construction of an $840,000 addition at Box Butte that includes 20 new electrical campsites and the installation of a shower house and sewage dump station.
Mike Morava, regional park superintendent for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said construction is scheduled to begin in March. He is hopeful the new sites will be ready for use as early as June.
“Camping continues to gain popularity, and this will be a great addition for our region,” Morava said.
The new amenities will be at the west side of the current campground, north and parallel to the existing paved road and sites 7-18. The addition is designed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Nebraska’s Capital Maintenance Fund, which was established by the Legislature in 2016 to help preserve public outdoor recreation facilities and parklands, is a large contributor to the project. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation also is funding it.
The expansion follows many other improvements at the recreation area in recent years, including a new boat ramp and dock, concrete outhouses and an upgraded fish-cleaning station.
Morava has been advocating for needed repairs to the SRA’s asphalt road; the project is on the list of candidates for funding by the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s Recreational Roads Program, and it is anticipated the project will begin in the next few years.
Box Butte Reservoir SRA and Wildlife Management Area, highlighted by the 1,600-acre lake, provide fishing, boating, hunting and picnicking opportunities 9 miles north of Hemingford.