Blue Hole swimmers might need permits
A no-cost, day-use permit could be required for people who want to take a dip in the increasingly popular Blue Hole swimming area in this western Ulster County town, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said Thursday.
The system, if instituted, would mandate that visitors obtain a permit before using Blue Hole — part of the Rondout Creek in the Sundown Wild Forest area of the Catskill Park — on weekends and holidays from May 15 to Oct. 15 each year.
Up to 40 permits would be issued per day, and each permit would allow entry by up to six people.
The environmental department said in a prepared statement that the permit system is aimed at “ensuring state lands are open and accessible to the public, reducing environmental damage, and enhancing public safety.”
The department is accepting comments on the proposal through May 28 at R3.UMP@dec.ny.gov or NYSDEC, Attn: Blue Hole Comments, 21 S. Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, N.Y. 12561.
“Blue Hole is a unique and special place in New York, and the proposal released today is designed to keep it that way for future generations,” state Environmental Commissioner Basil Seggos said in the prepared statement. “DEC encourages the use of our state lands, but this tiny area has been drawing up to 1,000 visitors a day. This is simply too much traffic for this postage stamp-sized area.”
Last June, the environmental department said Blue Hole — a large, deep and cold swimming area — was at risk of overuse due to its popularity.
The department said at the time that the overcrowding resulted in increases in human waste, refuse, fires and broken glass, as well as overuse of the parking area, causing vehicles to spill out onto Peekamoose Road. Residents of the surrounding area expressed concerns about safety if the road was not passable for emergency vehicles.
As a result, the environmental department limited use of the site to daylight hours, required the use of portable restrooms, and limited parking to designated areas. It also banned fires, grills, glass containers and audio equipment.
Blue Hole’s visitor numbers surged in the summer of 2015 due in part to media coverage, including in national magazines, that touted it as one of the best swimming holes in the nation.
Blue Hole is in the New York City watershed, upstream of the Rondout Reservoir.