Beltzville State Park took steps to address overcrowding which peaked during the pandemic.

In January, the Department of Conservation of Natural Resources announced a new director, Ben Monk.

The park system saw record attendance in 2020, and on many weekends the day use and parking areas of Beltzville reached capacity. Overcrowding, litter and parking issues outraged some local residents.

This year the park took additional measures to prevent people from continuing to enter the park after it reached capacity. It closed Pohopoco Drive when parking areas reached capacity.

It added portable toilets and dumpsters and provided trash bags to visitors.

Additional signs reminded visitors of rules. Some parking areas around the park were closed on weekends.

On social media groups dedicated to the lake, some people said the road closures created inconveniences for local drivers.

An ice fisherman drowned at the lake in March. 70-year-old William Shipe was from the Bethlehem area.

In June, the lake topped a list of the ‘Best places to swim in the Poconos’ which appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The lake closed its swimming beach early for the season due to high water levels from Hurricane Ida.