May 3, 2023 |
Photo – Sand bagger – Courtesy Barrier Systems LLC
Saratoga town hall is offering free sandbags to residents in flood prone parts of town.
The county’s automatic sandbag filling machine has arrived in Saratoga after spending time in Elk Mountain and Baggs. Mayor Chuck Davis said the town has about 600 sandbags filled and ready to go. Mayor Davis said one resident has already asked the town for help.
Mayor Davis said the town hasn’t used the county’s sandbagging machine yet. He said crews are too busy repairing the streets. The 600 available sandbags came from the Wyoming State Penitentiary. County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman created a program to have inmates of the prison fill bags in preparation for potential flooding. Mayor Davis said students from the Encampment K through 12 school are helping supplement the town’s sandbag supply as well.
The town will have around 1,000 sandbags in reserve when the Encampment students finish. Mayor Davis said he is expecting another 600 bags from the state prison. When the sandbagging machine is fully operational, the mayor said it will be used to make up to 1,000 more bags.
With nearly 3,000 sandbags in reserve, the town should be prepared for any potential flooding. Mayor Davis said reports indicate that Baggs is the most likely location for a major flood event. However, the mayor said he is keeping an eye on the North Platte River.
As of Tuesday morning, the North Platte was measuring just under seven feet high. Streets Department Supervisor John Lasco said the river was at a normal level for this time of year. Mayor Davis said he has a plan, should the water level rise, but he is waiting until that happens before setting it in motion.
The town’s sandbags are free, with no limit on how many bags people may request. Mayor Davis said if an emergency happens, he will deploy pallets of sandbags in public spaces throughout the town.
Mayor Davis said he is keeping a close eye on the North Platte River for signs of flooding. He said the first place likely to experience high water is the town’s hot pools.
In his April 18th address to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, Emergency Manager Layman said Saratoga will act as a hub, distributing sandbags to other towns as needed.
A video of the sandbagging machine in action shows it is capable of filling 20 bags in about a minute and a half. Saratoga’s Streets Supervisor said they use, on average, between 60 and 80 bags to protect a property from flooding: meaning, the machine can produce enough sandbags for each resident every four and a half to six minutes.
