Wyoming DEQ Gives Green Light to Elk Refuge, Flat Creek Inns’ Sewer Hookup

The original story by Charley Sutherland for Jackson Hole News&Guide.

Two roadside inns north of Jackson just cleared a big hurdle in their push to ditch aging septic systems and connect to the town’s sewer. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality says the project won’t cause significant environmental harm, granting a “categorical exclusion” that spares it from further environmental review.

That decision should speed things up, and owners are thrilled.

“We’re very excited,” said Monay Olson, who owns the Elk Refuge Inn and also leads the Elk Refuge Sewer District.

The plan is straightforward: lay a new sewer line about seven feet underground along Highway 89, stick to already disturbed corridors near roads and utilities, and retire the leach fields that watchdog groups have long blamed for polluting nearby waters.

Flat Creek, which flows past the National Elk Refuge and has struggled with E. coli contamination, stands to benefit most. State officials said swapping septic for sewer will cut the flow of nitrates and pathogens into the soil and Snake River aquifer, improving water quality instead of degrading it. In their public notice, regulators added that the work “will not result in adverse impacts” for Teton County residents or the surrounding area.

The district says the project is shovel-ready. What’s left is money. The price tag is about $3.6 million, and Olson plans to ask Teton County for a $1.5 million grant to help close the gap. If funding comes together, crews could start as soon as April.

“We’re ready to go,” Olson said. “We just really need the county to support it with a grant.”