National report hits Jackson Hole water quality | Common Ground

US News & World Report’s Healthiest Community Ranking just came out. They show how nearly 3,000 US states perform on 84 metrics in 10 health and health-related categories.

Teton County scored high overall, but was deficient in one very important category: providing its residents with safe drinking water. The report found that 29% of our population is served by drinking water systems that violate Environmental Protection Agency standards.

County-level data was collected from recognized and validated sources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute for Health Metrics and Assessment, the US Census Bureau, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the EPA.

These results come as no surprise. Teton County has 114 private water systems, most of them in the state, all with separate bodies and little coordination and control. Only three have spring water protection plans required by Safe Drinking Water Act in all states except Wyoming. It is long ago that all drinking water systems in Teton County had a simple plan to protect their spring water.

We have around 3,600 largely unregulated sewer systems, a major source of water pollution. A modern and affluent community like ours should have modern wastewater treatment for everyone.

There is no point building multi-million dollar homes with primitive sewer systems that may not work in our flat floors and cold climates. The EPA recommends cleaning and inspecting septic tanks every three to five years. Teton County doesn’t need this low cost measure, which costs less than 50 cents per day per system.

At the end of 2018, “Teton County Small Wastewater Regulations Revisions” were due. You are now more than two years late.

We lack the basic protection requirements that were established 10 years ago by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and that are common in other communities today. There are too many examples of wastewater improper handling in Teton County.

We know that the quality of drinking water in Hoback Junction is badly affected. It’s also declining in parts of Hog Island, Snake River Trailer Park, parts of Kelly, as well as Pub Place and the Old West Cabins in South Park. Declining means that sewage leachate gets into the drinking water. Some of us drink diluted stool water.

In 2019, the not-for-profit Protect Our Waters JH offered $ 250,000 to pay for most of a water quality plan for Teton County. Two years later, the county has not hired a consultant for the work. Protect Our Waters JH helped add water quality to our comprehensive plan. We hope that this project will finally move forward. This should include an independent assessment of the Jackson sewage facility.

Last fall, the Wyoming Outdoor Council proposed a simple early warning process to alert us the first time drinking water becomes contaminated. The Teton County Board of Health refused. This is a great idea that the Board of Health should reconsider as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes.

The new housing estate for northern South Park needs to be connected to the Jackson City sewage treatment plant. So far this has not been necessary. The alternatives threaten the quality of drinking water throughout South Park.

Clean water is one of the most basic requirements of a healthy ecosystem and community. Protecting Jackson and Teton County’s water quality is critical to the ecosystem and natural beauty that residents and visitors enjoy. The public has the right to clean, affordable drinking water.

Managing surface water of all sizes – streams, wetlands, riparian areas, and groundwater – is critical to maintaining healthy populations of native species and the health and safety of the human community. This includes the Snake River Sole Source Aquifer, the underground river that is our community’s source of drinking water.

It is extremely important to minimize sewage and rainwater pollution, which affects water quality and threatens human health and the general health of the ecosystem.

Paul W. Hansen’s Common Ground column appears roughly twice a month. Columns are solely the opinion of their authors. Contact him at [email protected].

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