TULSA, Okla. —The Tulsa District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to reopen the Canadian “A” area campground at Canton Lake, located near Canton, Oklahoma, March 25 at 3 p.m.

Brigadier Gen. David C. Hill, Commander, Southwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Col. Richard A. Pratt, Tulsa District Commander and District Engineer, as well as local and state civic leaders will participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony. Members of the public and media are encouraged to attend.

According to Kathy Carlson, the Tulsa District Canton Lake Manager, the rebuilt campground will provide campers and day-use visitors with modern amenities and significantly improved recreational facilities.

“Visitors to the campground will also find 50 amp electrical outlets, the current standard for recreational vehicles, and potable water hookups,” Carlson said.

The campsites, two showers and restroom facilities, loop roads, a playground and a boat dock, as well as portions of the nearby day-use area, were destroyed when an EF 3 tornado struck the campground, May 24, 2011.

The vortex left Canton Lake’s oldest developed campground in ruins.

“Entire areas were covered with downed trees, and debris was scattered all the way to the shoreline,” Carlson said. “Although it was an unfortunate natural disaster, we were fortunate that nobody was seriously injured and we’ve been able to make improvements to the campground as part of the overall repair and construction that went into the rebuilding effort.”

All 77 campsites in Canadian “A” have been constructed according to USACE standards for class ‘A’ campsites. Among the newly constructed facilities are covered shelters on each site, a courtesy boat dock, two concrete toilet facilities, a new playground. More than 140 trees were also planted to replace those lost in the tornado.

To protect the new saplings from disease, the project office planted seven varieties of trees. The variety prevents massive loss in the event of disease or pest infestations.

According to USACE officials, work on providing electric service remains underway and should be complete when Canadian “A” Campground opens for camping in April.

While water levels at the lake are currently lower than normal due to an extended period of drought, the lake continues to support a wide variety of recreational opportunities and remains a highly popular fishing, hunting and water sport destination.

The Corps used available funding to rebuild 77 sites in accordance with current modern design standards, complete with 50 amp electric service and concrete impact zones and trailer pads. There are now two pre-fabricated handicap accessible shower and toilet buildings and a handicap accessible playground.

The Federal Highway Administration provided $1.32 million to rebuild the damaged camping loop roads through the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program.

The longer boat ramp in the Canadian Day Use area, and modernized camping facilities should provide recreational opportunities for the public for many years to come.

Canton Lake was originally created as a result of the 1938 Flood Control Act for the purpose of water supply, flood control and irrigation. The lake is located on the North Canadian River, about 2 miles north of the city of Canton in Blaine County, Oklahoma, and about 75 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

Initially when the campground re-opens, campsites will be available on a first-come, first-served basis only. Eventually, reservations will be available through the National Recreation Reservation Service.