Posted by Joe Cimoch on Friday, September 19, 2003 at 10:10AM :
In Reply to: Hey John Eickhof , Look at ........... posted by Ken Sterrett on Friday, September 19, 2003 at 6:24AM :
County resolves to clean up outhouse
By ROGER PHELPS, Staff Writer
ELKO - Volunteers cleaning out sewage at a Jarbidge restroom is all right with Elko County Commissioners - as long as no one breaks a lock to gain access.
That's what the commission resolved Wednesday in the face of pressure to support a volunteer effort over plans by the U.S. Forest Service to call in an emergency helicopter flight.
The Forest Service owns the restroom at Snowslide Gulch trailhead, and cites state health department requests that the cleanup be done by the book to ensure safety and freedom from liability.
"The county is responsible - it's a hazard," said resident Mike Lattin. "It's your responsibility to ensure public health."
Three years ago a volunteer group cleaned out excess sewage from the restroom, which is inaccessible to normal cleanup efforts and officially closed since a road washout prevented pump-truck access. Volunteers want to make a similar effort this year.
Locks have been broken from the restroom door in the past, but the Forest Service recently put on a new one to prevent further use that could cause spillage into the creek.
Forest Service District Ranger Bill Van Bruggen reported to commissioners that the Nevada Division of Health was strict in its mandate, which the department made after public complaints that sewage might be reaching the Jarbidge River.
"The Forest Service must use a (state-) approved and permitted septic tank pumping contractor to remove and dispose of the sewage," Van Bruggen quoted the state directive.
South Canyon Road, which once served Snowslide Gulch trailhead, is the subject of a Forest Service Environmental Impact Statement under which the agency will choose a plan to restore canyon access and protect the threatened bull trout. Any actions in the canyon - including restoring the road as the county wants to do and solving the restroom situation - must comply with environmental-protection clauses of that document, and with various state and federal regulations, Van Bruggen reported.
Commissioner Warren Russell proposed the county support a volunteer effort that would stop short of unlawfully entering federal property.
"I move that 'The county encourages use of volunteers and certified professionals, including engineers, to repair, maintain and improve facilities at the Snowslide Gulch restroom, but does not encourage breaking into a facility owned by the Forest Service, or breaking locks to gain access."
The motion passed unanimously.
The Forest Service wants to bid and do the work as soon as possible, Van Bruggen said. County and federal officials agree it's unlikely sewage is reaching the creek. The Forest Service will monitor creek water some time next month.