I live on a small bluff above the Hoback River, close enough to toss a rock in the water. In the spring the river runs red with sediment; in the summer kayaks float by and the rumbling of the river serenades us to sleep. The fall brings low water, and across the winter we watch the freeze move from the banks toward the center of the river.
Other aspects of our water life are less benign. All of Teton County funnels down to Hoback. Drinking water wells here are contaminated with nitrate, and our homeowner’s association spends mightily to remove them from our well water. Costs have gone up by an order of magnitude since we moved here 9 years ago. Other neighbors tell similar stories.
There is now some momentum to clean up our water in Hoback. I’ve spent much of the last three years trying to move the process along. I’m grateful that POWJH is helping with water issues in Hoback and across Teton County.