Burning Man Area Still Flooded: Will the Festival Relocate?
Burning Man is still two months away, but there is a chance the playa could remain flooded after a record wet, winter season. Back in March, videos of water deep enough to cruise around on kayaks started to surface. It’s now mid-June, and the Black Rock Desert is still a giant mud puddle.
With the above-average precipitation levels this year, it’s taking a lot longer for the playa to dry than expected.the Worst case scenario would be a relocation of the festival currently scheduled to take place in Black Rock City, Nevada.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the organization that issues the permit to Burning Man to use the playa for the event, is working on potential alternatives in case the area is not dried out come August. Burning Man spokeswoman Megan Miller believes that there’s still time for the desert to dry out and that adds that there are a Plan B and C in place.
The last time the region faced extreme flooding was 2008 when the water level crested at the end of May, about two week’s later than this year’s peak, and in that year, the playa dried out and the event went on as planned.
70,000+ burners are expected to attend the massive arts and counter-culture event, taking place August 27 to September 4. If the water does not dry up by the end of July, it will be very difficult for the art cars, bicycles, and structures to function on the playa.
The BLM usually grants Burning Man’s permit at the end of July or in early August, just before organizers begin construction of the camp area known as Black Rock City. Stay tuned as this situation develops…
