Accessible Utilities at US Forest Service Recreation Sites
Information reproduced from the USDA Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails.
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Utilities at US Forest Service (USFS) recreation sites, such as electricity hookups, drinking water faucets, outdoor rinsing showers, utility sinks, sewer hookups, and other utilities, must meet the installation requirements of Forest Service Outdoor Recreational Area Guidelines (FSORAG). These utilities should be connected to the other major constructed features at the recreation area by an outdoor recreation access route (ORAR).
Controls and operating mechanisms for most utilities should comply with the technical requirements for reach ranges and operability specified in ABAAS, sections 308 [reach ranges] and 309 [operable parts]. The graphic below is representative of reach ranges. Sewage hookups don’t have to comply with the reach ranges of ABAAS, section 308 or operation requirements of section 309, but the slope and surface requirements must still be met.
A clear floor or ground space should be provided with at least 30 by 60 inches (760 by 1,525 millimeters) in size, oriented for front or parallel approach to all usable sides of utilities, except at water hydrants and outdoor rinsing showers. The graphic below is representative. Hydrants and showers have their own requirements.
USFS Utility Hookup Clear Space 30X60 Inches
One full side of the clear floor or ground space around utilities must be adjacent to or overlap the ORAR. The clear space also may overlap adjacent clear spaces. The graphic shows the clear spaces overlapping.
Clear Spaces Overlapping at USFS Utility Hookups
The slope of the clear space required at utilities and water hydrants should not exceed 1:48 (2 percent) in any direction. When the surface is unpaved or not built with boards, grades up to 1:33 (3 percent) are allowed if needed for proper drainage. The surface of the clear space must be firm, stable, and made of a material that is appropriate to the level of development and setting.
Openings in the surface of the clear floor or ground spaces should not be big enough to allow passage of a sphere more than a half of an inch (13 millimeter) in diameter. Elongated openings more than a quarter of an inch wide should be placed with the long dimension perpendicular to the primary direction of travel.
SUMMARY: Utilities at USFS recreation sites, such as electricity hookups, drinking water faucets, outdoor rinsing showers, utility sinks, sewer hookups, and other utilities, must meet the installation requirements of FSORAG. Requirements include controls, clear space, surface conditions, and openings in the surface.
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