Of the estimated $6.1 billion maintenance backlog, most of it—about $5.6 billion, or about 92 percent—is for construction projects. The Park Service’s list of projects in the construction portion of the maintenance backlog reveals that over 21 percent, or $1.2 billion, of the $5.6 billion is for new facilities. For example:
Acadia National Park’s estimate included $16.6 million to replace a visitor center and construct a park entrance. These projects are not aimed at addressing the maintenance of existing facilities within the parks. Including these types of enhancement projects in the maintenance backlog contributes to confusion about the actual maintenance needs of the national park system. These projects include new construction for adding, expanding, and upgrading facilities. The Park Service compiles its maintenance backlog estimates on an ad hoc basis in response to requests from the Congress or others; it does not have a routine, systematic process for determining its maintenance backlog. The January 1997 estimate of the maintenance backlog—the most recent estimate—was based largely on information that was compiled over 4 years ago. This fact, as well as the absence of a common definition of what should be included in the maintenance backlog, contributed to an inaccurate and out-of-date estimate. The $6.1 billion estimate, dated January 1997, was for the most part, compiled on the basis of information received from the individual parks in December 1993. Managing the Backlog

In order to begin addressing its maintenance backlog, the Park Service needs (1) an accurate estimate of its total maintenance backlog and (2) a means for tracking progress so that it can determine the extent to which its needs are being met. Park Service officials told us that they have not developed a precise estimate of the total maintenance backlog because the needs far exceed the funding resources available to address them. The recent actions by the Congress to provide the Park Service with substantial additional funding, which could be used to address its maintenance backlog, underscore the need to ensure that available funds are being used to address priority needs and to show progress in improving the conditions of the national park system. Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives of our review were to determine (1) the National Park Service’s estimate of the maintenance backlog and its composition, (2) how the agency determined the maintenance backlog estimate and whether it is reliable, (3) how the agency manages the backlog, and (4) recent requirements that have been placed on the Park Service and other federal agencies that may have a positive impact on what is being done in this area and current initiatives being taken by the Park Service to deal with the backlog issues.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Park Service's (NPS) efforts to identify and manage the maintenance backlog, focusing on: (1) NPS' estimate of the maintenance backlog and its composition; (2) how NPS determined the maintenance backlog estimate and whether it is reliable; (3) how NPS manages the backlog; and (4) what, if any, recent requirements or initiatives are being implemented by the NPS to help address its maintenance backlog problem.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) NPS' most recent estimate of its maintenance backlog does not accurately reflect the scope of the maintenance needs of the park system; (2) NPS estimated, as of January 1997, that its maintenance backlog was about $6.1 billion; (3) most of this amount--about $5.6 billion, or about 92 percent--was for construction projects, which, for the most part, are aimed at correcting maintenance problems at existing facilities; (4) however, over 21 percent of the $5.6 billion in construction projects, or $1.2 billion, was for the construction of new facilities, such as $24 million for a bike path at the Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia and $16.6 million to replace a visitor center and construct a park entrance at Acadia National Park in Maine; (5) while GAO does not question the need for these facilities, including these kinds of new construction projects or projects that expand or upgrade park facilities in an estimate of the maintenance backlog is not appropriate because such projects go beyond what could reasonably be viewed as maintenance; (6) including them in the maintenance backlog contributes to confusion about the park system's actual maintenance needs; (7) NPS estimates of its maintenance backlog are compiled on an ad hoc basis in response to requests from Congress or others; the agency does not have a routine, systematic process for determining its maintenance backlog; (8) the most recent estimate, as of January 1997, was based largely on information that was compiled by NPS in 1993 and has not been updated to reflect changing conditions in individual park units; (9) this fact, as well as the absence of a common definition of what should be included in the maintenance backlog, contributed to an inaccurate and out-of-date estimate; (10) NPS does not use the estimated backlog in managing park maintenance operations; (11) as such, it has not specifically identified its total maintenance backlog; (12) because the identified backlog far exceeds the funding resources being made available to address it, NPS has focused its efforts on identifying its highest-priority maintenance needs; (13) however, given that substantial additional funding resources are being made available--over $100 million starting in fiscal year 1998--NPS needs to more accurately determine its total maintenance needs so that it can better track progress in meeting them; and (14) NPS is taking actions to help address the maintenance backlog problem in response to several requirements.