As the Blaine County Board of Commissioners hosts a number of public forums on issues relating to the temporary moratorium on new development projects, Developing Green Consultant Martin Flannes presided over the forum on water quality and quantity issues last week at the Old County Courthouse.
Commission chairwoman Sarah Michael said she was encouraged by the upbeat meeting, which included input from a number of water resource regulators responsible for municipal systems from Carey to Ketchum, the EPA, DEQ and South Central District Health Environmental Health Specialist, Bob Erickson, who regulates septic systems in the county.
Erickson said he has become somewhat cynical about septic regulation in the county during his tenure with the health district, but he said he, like others in the group, is in support of a proposal to consolidate available data about the dynamics of water and wastewater in the county.
The U.S. Geological Survey would head up the project intended to provide a comprehensive view for planners as a basis for implementing zoning and subdivision ordinance changes and education programs for protecting drinking water. The project would gather existing data and incorporate additional monitoring and studies where gaps are found.
Going forward, the county's three leading hydrologists, Lee Brown, Bruce Lium, and Wendy Pabich, will write a proposal for the USGS comprehensive project.
Hailey Public Works Manager Ray Hyde, who formally worked on rural water issues in the state, said prescriptions for how to treat wastewater and protect groundwater vary with the dynamics of each location. He said he believed that in the county's effort to expand septic monitoring, maintenance and enforcement, there is no single correct methodology, but he recommends that the county take on the responsibility.
Several speakers recommended that education programs for county homeowners using septic systems were also valid. It was widely recognized that county citizens are not aware that they should have their drain fields tested on a regular basis.
When considering the costs of monitoring and maintenance, Michael said her own experience with a failed septic system in Hulen Meadows indicates monitoring is much cheaper than replacement.
Hyde recommended that septic monitoring be done on an annual basis. If people become aware that they are polluting the ground water, they will take measures to correct the problem. He added that if the county hired competent managers for its wastewater treatment system, as Hailey did, the decision would go a long way to protecting drinking water sources in the county.
The courthouse buzzed with positive energy as the two-hour meeting Feb. 10 came to a close. Michael said she will continue to push the hot-button issue because the lack of knowledge about septic pollution is a huge problem for the county. Michael said the focus group discussions could lead to new county ordinances. She hopes to soon get clear direction from the board about how to proceed.
