The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District has announced that Blue Marsh Lake, located five miles west of Reading, will no longer collect entrance fees.
The decision to suspend the entrance fee program was made based on an analysis that showed revenue generated would not offset the costs associated with collecting the fees.
Prior to this decision, visitors were charged a daily fee of $3 per vehicle for access to the day use area. Recreation user fees were authorized by Congress in 1993 at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation facilities as part of a budget deficit reduction initiative.
Located five miles west of Reading, Blue Marsh Lake is a multi-purpose project operated by the Corps’ Philadelphia District for flood control, water supply, water quality and recreation. Blue Marsh Lake has more than 36 miles of trails, 1,147 acres of water surface, picnic areas, a small beach and three boat launches. For more information, visit the Blue Marsh Lake web page or the Blue Marsh Lake Facebook page.
