Solid Wastes Department
Concern with solid waste disposal practices goes back to at least 1963 when the Shoshone Tribe evaluated landfill operations. Studies, surveys, and reports have been prepared by various agencies in 1975, 1976, 1979, and 1980. A more recent evaluation conducted by WREQC in the nineties found that there are more than 40 unauthorized dumpsites on the reservation. These dumpsites contain about 90% household wastes. The remainder are oil field wastes, agricultural herbicides and pesticides, household appliances, and automobile wastes. None of the dumpsites meets Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requirements. The dumpsites are a potential threat to the public health, a potential source of pollutants to surface and ground waters, and a source of blowing trash that can be a public nuisance.
Fort Washakie Dump Cleanup 2003