Data may pull plug on outfall project

With recent developments in mind, Saratoga Director of Public Works Jon Winter believes there may be a chance that the Saratoga wastewater sewer outfall may be maintained as is.

Winter will meet with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) to continue a discussion on the sewer outfall project, which has been a controversial topic since its initial approval in Sept. 2013. This meeting and discussion could mean that the current wastewater outfall, which involves dumping in Hot Slough Creek, can be maintained as is.

Data including information about dilution levels, which dates back to 2003, has been found and officials have reason to believe the new information had not been seen while deliberating the project before.

On Jan. 29, Winter met with several WDEQ members as well as relevant town parties to discuss the data. According to Winter, he and the town said they have some data they would like WDEQ to be aware of so that things may be evaluated as they truly are. Winter said he got the impression that WDEQ hadn’t seen the information that was brought before them, and believes that they will be willing to take a “good hard look” at another option, which would allow the system to stay the same.

“They’re willing to work with us, which is a good sign,” Winter said. WDEQ was encouraged by the fact that Saratoga did have this data. “They don’t want us to spend more money than we have to for any type of improvement because it doesn’t look good for them, causing a small community to spend millions of dollars or hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Winter said.

Winter brought this news to the Saratoga/Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board meeting Feb. 10, gaining generally positive reactions from board members considering the project has been unpopular since its introduction. The pipeline that has been in discussion for the past two and a half years is still an option, Winter said, and funding opportunities should remain the same despite their search for other options.

Several updates and upgrades were brought to the board members’ attention by Winter regarding deficits in old systems. The water line in general needs an improvement, according to Winter.

“We just know that it needs to be updated,” said Winter. “The system is running slower.” There is no imminent failure upcoming, but a new highly technical system has been recommended to Winter.

In the middle of the fiscal year with budgets to be built soon, much of the information was to be reconsidered at a later date. This was the first mention of many of the improvements and upgrades, which prompted the board to seek for more research and competitors. “These are just things that we’ve identified. It doesn’t mean they’re all critical,” Winter said of the upgrades he brought before the board.

 

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