Flush toilets are coming to the Brandywine Falls area of Cuyahoga Valley National Park/NPS file

Flush toilets are coming to the Brandywine Falls area of Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. It only took about 30 years and negotiating the National Park Service's competitive bidding process for park projects to become a reality.

It was back in the early 1990s when the trailhead at Brandywine Falls opened. However, there was no running water plumbed to the area, and so a composting toilet system was put in place. Well, those systems can only handle so many people. So, as visitation to the area continued to grow, the restroom was shut down due to health and safety issues and visitors have been using portable toilets.

Now, though, a water main extension will be added to provide running water for flush toilets, hand washing, and a water fountain. An accessible restroom building and wastewater treatment facility will be constructed to serve the area. Parking may be reduced and temporary closures may be necessary while a contractor completes the project. Crews will prepare the site in January and February, and construction is expected from March through September.  

“Getting the $1.6 million required for this project through a competitive process within the National Park Service is a huge win. We know that the restroom facilities have been inadequate at one of our most popular attractions, so we are happy to be able to complete this work in 2022,” said Cuyahoga Valley Superintendent Lisa Petit.