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| FRIDAY July 21, 2000 Vol 4, # 44 |
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| FRIDAY July 21, 2000 Vol 4, # 44 |
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| Site Search | Support Yellowstone! Discussion Free Internet, Email, More Email Newsletter | |
YELLOWSTONE ROAD
REPORT PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN- |
SEWAGE SPILLS INTO
YELLOWSTONE RIVER News Brief YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Road construction machinery working near Fishing Bridge on Tuesday accidentally crushed a sewage line. The pressurized line spilled some 30,000 gallons of raw sewage into the Yellowstone River before the leak was contained. Although the sewage would have presented a public health hazard if anyone had tried to drink water from the river, there were no noticeable environmental impacts at the point of the spill or downriver from the spill, according to Yellowstone officials. The accident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning when a compactor working on a road project rolled too close to a buried sewage line. The pressurized line carries sewage from Lake Hotel and Fishing Bridge. Park officials were able to shut off the sewage pump within ten minutes. NPS crews and construction workers had the line repaired and operable by 12:30 p.m. Although the 30,000 gallons of spilled sewage is a significant amount, Park officials noted that on Tuesday, the day of the spill, U.S. Geological Survey gauges indicated the Yellowstone River at Fishing Bridge was flowing at a rate of over 20,000 gallons per second. Thus, the impact of the spill was quickly diluted in the river. Yellowstone has been plagued by a series of sewage spills over the past three years, particularly in the Lake and Old Faithful areas. Some of the spills have been the result of old and failing sewer lines, while others have simply been accidental. Ironically, the same day of this latest spill, the Interior Appropriations Bill, which allocates just over $5 million for sewer upgrades in Yellowstone, passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 97-2. |
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Ralph Maughan
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YELLOWSTONE
AND GLACIER RECEIVE SPECIAL FUNDING YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- On Tuesday the U.S. Senate passed this years Interior Appropriations Bill by a vote of 97-2. Both Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks will benefit from this bill. Yellowstone, which has been plagued by repeated sewer problems in recent years, receives just over $5 million for sewer upgrades. Glacier, which also has had its share of sewer problems, also receives money for sewer upgrades. Glacier's appropriation is $4.5 million. Another $5 million appropriation for maintenance and removal of snow on the Beartooth Highway affects Yellowstone National Park. The Beartooth Highway is a popular and scenic route to Yellowstone via Red Lodge, Montana. In recent years, the federal government, Yellowstone officials, and state governments of Montana and Wyoming, through which the highway winds, have debated how best to fund the costly job of maintaining the high altitude road. Peaking at an altitude just under 11,000 feet, the Beartooth Highway, because of heavy snow, is only open from late May / early June until mid-October. In addition, the highway is often temporarily closed during the summer months because of snow. |
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| YELLOWSTONE VISITOR
NUMBERS DOWN News Brief YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Thus far the number of visitors to Yellowstone this summer is slightly lower than last summer. Through June, the total number of visitors to Yellowstone stood at 1,296,050, a decline of 1.1% from the same time period in 1999. Declines at the South Entrance (-9.6%) and the East Entrance (-7.2%) led the decline. The North (+6.9%), Northeast (+5.6%) and West (+1.4%) entrances showed increases. The total number of visitors also include traffic on highway 191 which follows the western edge of Yellowstone's boundary. |
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| "YELLOWSTONE OF THE
SOUTHWEST" PRESERVED News Brief WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a plan to spend $101 million to purchase land known as the ``Yellowstone of the Southwest,'' despite criticism that the price was too high. The 95,000-acre Baca Ranch is viewed by some as a natural jewel that should be protected and open to the public. The House voted 377-45 for the bill, which passed the Senate in April. President Clinton supports the purchase, and may visit the ranch later this year. Critics say the federal government is paying far too much for the ranch northwest of Santa Fe, which the late Texas oil tycoon James P. Dunigan bought for $2.1 million in 1962. The Baca Ranch is almost completely surrounded by federal land, including the Santa Fe National Forest and Bandelier National Monument. It includes the Valles Caldera, a 1-million-year-old collapsed volcano measuring 14 miles across. It's also home to one of the largest elk herds in the country, as well as fishing streams, hot springs, forested mountains and broad, grassy valleys. Under the plan, the federal government would buy the ranch and open it to the public. A nine-member board of trustees, at least five of them New Mexicans, would manage the Baca as a working ranch and try to make enough money to cover maintenance and operations costs. |
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