The RV Dump Station at Clearwater Junction was first closed in 2019 and will remain closed indefinitely.
MISSOULA – The Missoula County Commissioners voted Nov. 18 to approve the letter from the Seeley Lake Community Council to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks requesting they reopen the Clearwater Junction RV Dump station. They also agreed to draft a cover letter to include with the Council's letter voicing their support.
Seeley Lake Community Council Secretary Tom Browder presented the Council's letter and provided the Commissioners more information about the request. He said the Council felt the need to address the closure for several reasons. First the amount of RV camping has increased significantly in the area and has put too much pressure on the only RV Dump site in the area at Lindey's on Highway 83. Second, there were also reports of RV users dumping their tanks on the road.
Since the Council is only an advisory board to the Commissioners, Browder asked the Commissioners to approve the text of the letter so the Council members could sign it and send it to FWP.
The Commissioners discussed sending a separate letter of support with it.
Missoula County Community and Planning Services staff Chet Crowser felt that there was value to the Commissioners contributing their voice to the request.
"I appreciate the communities' interest in getting on board with this topic. It has been a challenge for a number of years, as Tom mentioned, there really isn't another dump station available other than coming into Missoula, going up to Holland Lake or I assume going to Lincoln. It really is in a critical hub," Crowser said. "It wouldn't surprise me if we continue to see some pretty major issues of people finding alternative places to dump if they don't have this facility."
Strohmaier suggested drafting a cover letter of their own and attaching the Council's letter. They would be sent to FWP together. Commissioner Juanita Vero agreed. Strohmaier encouraged the Seeley Lake community to "do a full court press" and either start a petition or do a sign-on letter to further amplify the voice of the community and emphasize the need.
When Browder asked if the Council should initiate that, Crowser recommended that the Council continue to brainstorm solutions and have a list ready to share with FWP if they want to discuss ideas.
"Petitions can sometimes get people excited but they don't always carry a lot of weight," Crowser said.
Crowser will draft the cover letter that the Commissioners will approve at a future administrative meeting before being sent.
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