Boy Scouts summer camp cancelled
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Posted 8:51 PM 6/11/2012 : Boy Scouts summer camp cancelled
TUCSON - The Boy Scouts annual summer camp has been called off on account of not enough water.
The Boy Scouts Catalina Council has leased Camp Lawton from the U.S. Forest Service since 1921.
BSA officials estimate they'd need 120,000 gallons of water, each week to operate safely and effectively.
But as it stands, the flow of water is less than a third-of-a-gallon per minute and dropping, nowhere near sufficient.
This effects 750 Boy Scouts, and their parents, many of whom volunteer at the camp.
Atop Mount Lemmon water is scarce and tanks are low.
"The effect of the drought has really caused our spring, that's where we get water from, to be dry," explains Ken Tucker, Scout Executive of the Catalina Council.
It's not just drinking water Tucker is talking about. 18,000 gallons daily are needed for bathing, operating the dining hall and more.
"We projected to have 250 people in camp on a weekly basis, six days a week for five weeks of camp," says Tucker.
Hauling water up the mountain, at the quantity needed, wasn't an option says Tucker.
Over at the Girl Scouts recreation headquarters, camp is on. But conservation is on their minds.
"We're only taking a shower on Tuesday and Thursday so it's conserving a lot of water," says camper Charlotte Smith.
On the bright side, local Boy Scouts are being invited to join camps elsewhere in the state and beyond.
"There's a camp West of Flagstaff that a lot of our scouts are going to. One west of payson, one near the Las Vegas area and there's one near San Diego," says Tucker.
Smaller groups who reserved Camp Lawton are still welcome.
The camp will host the Tucson Boys Chorus in July. And weekend Boy Scout troops throughout the summer.
All have less than 50 campers, and require less water.
Last year the Forest Service closed Mount Lemmon, including camp grounds because of fire restrictions.
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