Wastewater Master Planning Initiative

PROPOSAL FOR COMPREHENSIVE WASTEWATER PLANNING - APPROVED!

Thank you, Jackson Hole! Your voice has been heard. We received nearly 2000 signatures on our petition for Comprehensive Wastewater Planning. The Commissioners voted to approve first year funding to start wastewater planning in Teton County. You’ve helped us to take the first step to protect public health and water quality. Here's how we got here:

Original Wastewater Planning Proposal

In February, 2020, we submitted “A Proposal for Philanthropic Support for Comprehensive Wastewater Master Planning in Teton County, Wyoming” to the Teton County Commissioners for inclusion in the FY2021 budget.

In the original proposal, Protect Our Water Jackson Hole (POWJH) proposed to provide half of the expected cost of a comprehensive wastewater plan, up to $250,000, with Teton County providing the remaining $250,000.

Read the Full Proposal.

Petition & Proposal Approval

Our Change.org petition received nearly 2000 signatures & the vote to approve the first year of funding passed.

In March, we also initiated a Change.org petition in support of our wastewater planning proposal that generated nearly 2000 signatures. Thank you to our supporters for initiating the first step to protect public health and water quality!

The Commissioners voted to approve first year funding to start wastewater planning in Teton County.

Revised Proposal

A unified approach with Teton Conservation District and Teton County staff.

After we submitted our initial proposal it became apparent the effects COVID-19 would have on county budgets, we began negotiating with the Teton Conservation District and Teton County staff to develop a unified approach to wastewater initiatives.
 
On May 27th, 2020 POWJH submitted a modified funding request to the Teton County Commissioners that included funding from the Teton Conservation District and phased in the total project cost over two years. Most importantly, the wastewater planning process would begin immediately. On June 30th, 2020, the Teton County Commissioners approved first year funding to begin the comprehensive wastewater planning process.
 

Read the Full Proposal.

Next Steps

Assessment & Plan of Work

The next two steps are to hire a consultant from outside the area who can provide an unbiased assessment and has experience in wastewater planning, and to develop a plan of work for the project.

WASTEWATER PLANNING CANNOT AFFORD TO WAIT

As our population and the number of visitors to our valley have grown our wastewater treatment systems have become responsible for treating larger and larger quantities of waste. The lack of county-wide wastewater planning has led to adverse effects on the health of our residents and our local waterways. In the absence of any coordinated wastewater planning, the economic, regulatory and environmental issues surrounding this issue will only increase – exponentially. Water quality issues in Hoback Junction and local streams highlight our urgent need for wastewater planning.