Flood mitigation meeting Nov. 9

After lying dormant for months, flood mitigation on the North Platte River is back on the docket in Saratoga.

According to Carbon County Emergency Management Coordinator (and former Saratoga Mayor) John Zeiger, officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office will be coming to a meeting 10 a.m. Nov. 9 at the Saratoga Town Hall.

“There are some areas on the river that would potentially qualify for some flood mitigation grant money,” and the purpose of the meeting will be to discuss those options, Zeiger said. According to him, town officials and Carbon County Commissioners will also be in attendance. It’s likely that any grant-funding would involve either the town or the county paying for 25 percent of a project with the U.S. government covering the remaining 75 percent.

Zeiger said that hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs incurred from flooding in 2011, 2014 and 2016 lead officials at Homeland Security to reach out to the town about grants that could offer a long-lasting solution. Any funding would likely be at least 18 months down the line, Zeiger estimated, but he said getting the process started would be a good first step.

Interested members of the public are welcome to attend, Zeiger said.