As testing continues on whether fracking contaminated groundwater in the Pavillion area, Governor Matt Mead and state officials will host a meeting next week on a new way to get fresh water to citizens.
Mead says they are considering a cistern system where each resident would have a water tank to hold their water supply. Water for the tanks would be trucked from Riverton or Lander. One issue is how to pay for it. Governor Mead says the Environmental Protection Agency is not set up to help pay for such a project and getting the gas company Encana to pay is a bit tricky.
“You know Encana is in this area where there is a lot of spotlight on what they have done and there is concerns that if they do this they might be admitting something. But the fact is that they’re providing water right now to the citizens.”
Mead says asking citizens to continue to use water out of a jug is not acceptable, but he adds there is a possibility that Pavillion citizens may have to pay some of the bill. A public meeting is set for May 31st.
