The Balsam Mountain Campground and Heintooga Picnic Area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have long been a beloved spot, providing stunning mountain views from the park's highest elevation picnic area at about 5,200 feet. 

Located about an hour west of Asheville, the campground and picnic area sit about 2 miles apart on Balsam Mountain, which sees more than 50,000 visitors a year, according to the National Park Service. The campground, at 5,310 feet elevation, welcomes more than 12,000 visitors annually.

Now, the area’s 70-year-old water and wastewater systems need an overhaul, and the park is seeking public review of the National Park Service’s Environmental Assessment, which outlines potential impacts. The overhaul will prevent system failures and provide safe drinking water along with proper wastewater treatment and disposal for visitors.

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“If the proposed project were not implemented, the water system would be more susceptible to issues such as broken water lines or other equipment failures,” Smokies spokesperson Dana Soehn told the Citizen Times. “Water service would be temporarily shut down at the campground and picnic area if drinking water was determined to be unsafe.” 

The proposed project is extensive and would require 1.9 acres of ground disturbance and approximately 1.1 acres of tree clearing, according to the EA. 

Proposed water system improvements include replacing an existing 9,450 feet of waterlines and the current well pump, rehabilitating the existing 30,000-gallon below-ground water storage tank by lining it with a polyethylene coating, replacing the storage tank’s existing piping and valves, and constructing a new 1/4-mile gravel access road to the water tank.  

Proposed wastewater system improvements include replacing 850 feet of sewer lines at the campground and installing two new conventional septic systems, one for each picnic area comfort station. 

This proposal comes amid a $245 million maintenance backlog in the Smokies, as problems begin to arise with aging infrastructure from when the park was established in 1934.

In February, the Smokies received $31 million in funding from the Great American Outdoor Act to repave the Foothills Parkway West, from Chilhowee Lake to Walland. The project, which began in March, will reduce more than $25 million in deferred maintenance associated with the parkway, according to NPS.

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“Annually, the Park competes with other national parks for National Park Service funds through the Repair/Rehabilitation program," Soehn said. “If the EA moves forward, we anticipate being successful in securing funds through this process.” 

If the EA is approved, maintenance is anticipated to begin in late fall 2022 or early 2023 during the campground’s seasonal closure. 

“The Park values public input during the decision-making process, and seeking public comment on an EA is a standard National Park Service practice,” Soehn said.

“Park managers will consider all public comments received during the comment period and will prepare written responses to substantive comments. Depending on the nature of the comments received, the Park may revise the EA, revise the analysis, modify alternatives, or consider new alternatives.” 

The EA is available online for public review and comment here, on the NPS website. The comment period closes July 26 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time. 

Although online comment is the preferred method by NPS, the public can also provide comment by mail sent to this address: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ATTN: Balsam Mountain and Heintooga EA, 107 Park Headquarters Road Gatlinburg, TN 37738 

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Ryley Ober is a news intern with the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. News tips? Email her at ROber@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober