JACKSON, Wyo. — An RV dump station planned for the South Park area is one of many steps closer to breaking ground.

Last Tuesday, the Teton County Scenic Preserve Trust Board (TCSPT) approved a sewer line connection on its Melody Ranch easement that will allow the dump station to connect to the Town of Jackson wastewater treatment plant. The connection at hand will not alter the land of the conservation easement, according to Teton County Public Works Project Manager Chris Colligan. TCSPT also acknowledged that the connection provides a net conservation and public benefit. The dump station is set to be located on Bureau of Land Management Parcel 26, also known as South Park Landing West Park.

“We are not doing any dirt work on the easement,” Colligan reassured TCSPT. “We are not doing any modification of the pipe. We are just connecting through it — which it’s already present. And my understanding is that when that decision was made, it was a cost savings measure to cut across a corner of that parcel. So this approval is just required as terms of the easement.”

TCSPT was created by the Teton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) in 1978. It essentially holds and manages conservation easements within the county. Members of the BCC also serve as board members for TCSPT. In 2017, the Melody Ranch easement was amended to allow a buried sewer main, and in 2019, TCSPT addressed additional sewer connections through this line relating to the Teton County School District (TCSD) and Wyoming Game and Fish Department housing. At the time, TCSPT noted that sewer service connections remain subject to approval by the Town of Jackson (TOJ) and must carry a net conservation benefit.

“As a Scenic Preserve Trust, we have an obligation to the easement, not necessarily to the dump station,” said TCSPT board member Luther Propst. Staff recommended approval of the sewer connection because it is public in nature, it does no public damage, and it is intended to reduce unmanaged or illegal RV wastewater disposal.

The RV dump station is slowly moving forward, with project managers seeking further approval and permits from numerous parties, including TCSD, TOJ and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. TCSPT is responsible for providing notice and documentation of this approval to the property owner of the Melody Ranch easement. Town Council will vote on its first approval on Aug. 3.

Monica is a Staff Reporter who studied journalism at Syracuse University and has been in the valley since 2015. She loves writing about the local food and bev scene, especially craft beer. When she’s not on the clock, you can find her paddle boarding, sewing, or whipping up a new recipe at home.