Submitted by San Juan County

San Juan County’s Parks, Recreation, and Fair Department is pleased to announce the opening of new restroom facilities at Shark Reef Sanctuary on Lopez Island. This upgrade provides year-round, ADA-compliant toilet access.

“We’re proud to be able to provide this kind of amenity to park visitors,” said project coordinator Carmel Rubin. “We know that these new units will serve the community well for years to come.”

The two previous stand-alone vault toilets at Shark Reef Sanctuary were past their lifespan and were in need of replacement. Construction began in September of 2023 and the new, double-unit Romtec waterless vault toilets were fully installed in December. The building’s thoughtful design features a cedar exterior with brown trim to blend into the surrounding environment.

The contract for the demolition work was awarded to Lopez Sand & Gravel, and the installation of the new toilets was awarded to Big Rock Excavation.

The project was fully funded by a San Juan County lodging tax grant for facilities improvements. Find ongoing information about this project and other Parks capital improvement projects by visiting the Visitor Improvements webpage at: https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/2015/Visitor-Improvements.