Kiosk trial to start

The Saratoga/Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (sewer board) met Wednesday and discussed several issues, including problems with a sewer line serving Happy Tails Dog Boarding. The board also announced that a new pay-by-use kiosk for dumping RV holding tanks was expected to be installed and operational by Memorial Day weekend.

Problems at Happy Tails dog boarding were brought up at last month’s sewer board meeting where it was said that the kennel had been having issues with a sewer line running under the highway backing up. However, after looking at plans and as-built drawings, the sewer board members said they did not believe the line in question was installed by, or the responsibility of, the Saratoga sewer board.

Board member Russ Waldner said that he had located a permit issued to the state from the town of Saratoga for the line in question. If the town had issued such a permit for the installation of the line, it was unclear whether the town also agreed to maintain or be responsible for the line.

The board said that Saratoga Outfall Sewer Project is expected to be permitted shortly. The board said that the DEQ was close to issuing the needed permits. The sewer board would have to install monitoring points to measure ammonia levels, both upstream and downstream, on the North Platte River.

The board said that some of the locations of the monitoring points might present a bit of a challenge since they were difficult to access. The board said it will look for a place where it can access the monitoring points.

The board also announced that the RV dumping kiosk system it elected to install on a trial basis will be installed the week before Memorial Day. The system is a pay-for-use kiosk that requires RV owners to insert a payment card or a token available for purchase at town hall in order to empty their sewage holding tanks at the town’s dumping station.

The board voted to try the kiosk system on a trial basis last month. The purpose of the system is to ensure that the sewer board get paid for RV dumping. Currently, the RV dumping station works on the honor system where RV owners are expected to pay when dumping. However, some estimates provided to the board indicated that only a fraction of owners using the facility were holding up their end of the bargain.

The board said it hoped the system would be operational by the Memorial Day weekend when the RV season will begin in earnest. If the system proves to be economically sustainable, the board may elect to continue using it.

The next meeting of the sewer board will be 6 p.m., June 8 at Saratoga Town Hall.