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Local septic hauler warns municipality’s dump limits could leave residents without service
Summary
A local septic service operator told the assembly the municipal permit allows one dump per week, seasonal hauling, and only four service slots open for 2026; she warned that the restriction could mean emergency failures go unserved without expanded dumping capacity.
At the "citizens present" portion of the Dec. 4 meeting, Jessica Ward, who operates a septic service in Skagway, told the assembly she and her partner took over the business in May and face structural limits on disposal: the municipal permitting currently allows one truckload per week to be dumped at the city facility, and the hauling season is constrained by road and weather conditions (roughly April–November). She said that limitation now leaves only four open service slots for the 2026 season and that in an emergency (a failed tank) she would have no way to help if she cannot dump more frequently.
Ward said the hauling truck holds about 1,700 gallons and that on a medium summer day the town produces far more wastewater; she urged the municipality to explore options such as increasing allowable dump frequency, permitting a second weekly dump, or engineering disposal capacity (including assessing the sanitary plant integration). Manager Deach acknowledged staff have asked engineers to evaluate how to accommodate septage dumps in the upcoming treatment plant upgrades and that the issue has been discussed at Ports and Harbors and Public Works committee meetings.
What happens next: The manager said staff will follow up with engineering design elements of the wastewater upgrade to determine whether the treatment plant can safely accept more septage and whether a portable dump or other operational changes are feasible.
