2. SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST TOILET CONSTRUCTION
San Juan National Forest
Project Type: Toilet Construction
Year Completed: Chimney Rock Phase 2
completed in calendar year 1997
Haviland Lake Campground
Toilets completed in calendar
year 1997
Budget (Design
and Constructed): Chimney Rock Phase 2
Contract Award -$349,111.50
Final Contract Price -$358,121.82
Contract Award Toilet Item 1 -$88,660.06
Final Toilet Item 1 -$98,637.72
Contract Award Toilet Item 2 -$85,660.06
Final Toilet Item 2 -$95,637.72
Haviland Lake Composting Toilets
Contract Award -$114,750
Final Contract Price -$128,394.43
Contract Award Toilet Item 1 -$57,375
Final Toilet Item 1 -$67,604.02
Contract Award Toilet Item 2 -$57,375
Final Toilet Item 2 -$60,790.14
Project Team: San Juan National Forest:
Engineer Technician,
Landscape Architects, Forest
Landscape Architect, and the
Forest Engineer, plus an
architect from the Rocky
Mountain Regional Office.
The San Juan National Forest leadership team,
on the recommendation of the forest design
team, approved a standard toilet design that
would be constructed at recreation facilities
identified with a Recreation Opportunity
Spectrum (ROS) of Roaded Natural through
Rural. Forest maintenance personnel and the
forest design team designed and recommended
a masonry building because of the long-term
durability and ease of maintenance of masonry.
The standard building design features two
barrier-free compartments, a separate
storage area, a full-width stairway (7 feet
4 inches wide), a full-depth basement, and a
compost/evaporative waste management
system.
The standard toilet design allows for minor
alterations to meet specific site characteristics.
Minor alterations are primarily color selection
of the following elements: metal roof, masonry
block, gable ends, soffits, trim, and doors. In
addition, the option of photovoltaic power or
electric power may be selected. In some cases,
special alterations may be implemented, in
addition to the minor alterations, to meet sites
classified as “special places.” These special
alterations include the addition of stone veneer
and/or special siding materials.
Chimney Rock Archeological Area may be
identified as a “special place.” The site offers
outstanding scenic beauty and contains the
remains of a significant pre-Columbian Indian
Culture as well as other historic uses. The area
is located in a diverse landscape, rich with
interesting geological features and landforms
composed of mesas, valleys, and hills. It is
associated with dry ponderosa pine and pinyonjuniper
forests, as well as native grasslands
and sagebrush lands.
The archeological area has a range of targeted
ROS classifications. The range is from Primitive
to Rural. The target ROS of toilet structure one,
located at the primary public contact point, is
Rural; the ROS of toilet structure two, located
at the main archeological interpretive area, is
Roaded Natural.
Both sites are well-suited for the standard toilet
design with both minor and special alterations.
In addition to selecting a suitable color scheme
(minor alterations), extensive stone veneer was
incorporated into the base of both building
facades and stucco was utilized in the midwall
sections (special alterations). The addition of
the special alteration elements enable these
modern buildings to harmonize with the existing
stone character of the archeological sites and
the historic fire tower.
In addition to the implementation of the minor
alterations, special alterations were incorporated
into the design. The use of a stone veneer base
at toilet structure one, the primary public
contact, anchored the structure to the landform.
In addition, it introduced the visitors to the
archeological and historic use of stone. The use
of stucco (color selection) in the midwall section
allows the structure to further blend with
existing site colors as well as provide a textural
change. In addition, the implementation of the
elements identified in minor alterations reinforced
specific site characteristics (color). Electric
power was selected for this structure, as it
permits a higher evaporative capacity. As the
first and primary public contact point, the need
for maximum evaporative capacity was identified.
The use of a stone veneer base at toilet structure
two, the primary archeological interpretive area,
enabled the structure to blend with the abundant
archeological and historic sites. The use of stucco
(color selection) in the midwall section allows the
structure to further blend with existing site
colors as well as provide a textural change. In
addition, the implementation of the elements
identified in minor alterations reinforced specific
site characteristics (color). Photovoltaic power
was selected for this structure. The anticipated
evaporative needs at this site would be less, as
most users would have used structure one.
Moreover the specific site characteristics, that
is, elevation and vegetation cover, create an
ideal opportunity for photovoltaic power.
Haviland Lake Campground is a heavily used
campground facility located in southwestern
Colorado. The site is located in the upper Animas
River Valley, under the backdrop of the scenic
Hermosa Cliffs and at an approximate elevation of
8,200 feet. It is part of a mountainous landscape,
composed of ponderosa pine forests and glacial
landforms. The campground is located in a diverse
microecological setting, composed of park-like
ponderosa pine forest and gambrel oak hillsides
intermixed with riparian and wetland areas.
The campground has a ROS classification of
Roaded Natural, and is therefore well-suited for
the standard toilet design with minor alterations.
A split face masonry block was used in the base
section to attempt to solidify the connection
between site and building through the use of
texture. A smooth face masonry block was used
in the midwall sections to diversify the visual
mass through a change in materials. In addition,
a suitable color scheme (minor alterations) was
selected and implemented for the proposed site
structures. The color scheme allowed the buildings
to merge with the existing site character and
created a consistent architectural theme.
Photovoltaic power was selected for both
structures. However, as the facilities were used,
one of the structures was converted to electric
power as it required greater evaporative capacity
than the photovoltaic power would supply.
Use/Evaluation: The two examples discussed,
Chimney Rock Archeological Area and Haviland
Lake Campground, attempt to illustrate how
a “standard design” can be utilized throughout
while permitting alterations to suit sites with
special needs. The toilet structures at Chimney
Rock Archeological Area have been positively
received. The appealing aesthetics, the use of a
biological waste management system, and the
appropriate selection of both electric and
photovoltaic power are the basis for the high
approval rate. The toilet structures at Haviland
Lake Campground have received mixed opinions;
the use of masonry block, the scale of the
building, the biological waste management
system, and the use of a power source, either
photovoltaic or electric, deviate from the
historic Forest Service outhouses. However,
initial public reaction is positive.