National parks are struggling with an $877 million backlog of plumbing problems at restrooms and wastewater facilities with a shortfall of workers needed to make repairs, according to an audit released last week by the Interior Department’s inspector general.
Moreover, the park system — which hosted 332 million visits last year at more than 400 sites — also lacks a system to track critical wastewater hazards identified by NPS’ Office of Public Health, the report said.
The Office of Inspector General surveyed 30 public health assessments for parks and found 87 critical-level deficiencies such as permit violations for sewage discharges, wastewater spills and other problems. Among problems listed in the report: sewage spills at Mount Rainier National Park, corrosion of plumbing at Big Bend and sewage leaking into a parking lot from a septic system at Everglades.
The report comes amid the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to reduce NPS budget and staffing. Hundreds of NPS workers were fired by the administration last month in a purge of newly hired employees, while others accepted a deferred resignation program that promises to pay workers until September if they agree to exit federal service.
