Wyoming

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Wyomings Plan for a Ground Water Management Plan

• Jeremy Manley
• Wyoming State Engineers Office
• Ground Water Division
• jmanle_at_seo.wyo.gov [phone]

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Thank You.
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Thank You!

• A thank you to those who make the information
  available for each respective state (country)
  consulted for our project.
• Including the WSWC , WSWC members, and attendees
  of the WIMS meetings.

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Ground Water Division Staff

• Support Staff
• Sheri Culver (Supervisor)
• Polly Helzer
• Doug McDonald
• Linda Miller
• Krissie Groth
• Roxanne Trujillo
• Cynthia Arnold

• Technical Staff
• Lisa Lindemann (Administrator)
• John Harju
• Cheryl Verplancke
• Jeremy Manley
• Scott Horgen
• Mike Ebsen
• Sheryl (Sunny) Lett
• Tom Johnson
• PJ Wilber
• Jed Rockweiler
• Beth Tebben

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Topics to Cover

• Brief Overview of Wyoming Water Law
• Discussion of Water Availability for Current and
  Future Development
• Preparation of Ground Water Management Plan

Elwood Mead while Wyoming State Engineer
(1890-1899) Photo from Wyoming State Museum
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The Wyoming Constitution Provides

• The Wyoming Constitution (Article 8, Section 1)
  establishes water as State property. The water
  of all natural streams, springs, lakes or other
  collections of still water, within the boundaries
  of the state, are hereby declared to be the
  property of the state.
• The State Engineer is charged with general
  supervision of waters of the State -
  responsibility for administering interstate and
  intrastate streams and rivers.

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Basic Tenets of Wyoming Water Law

• First in time is first in right
• Wyoming is a permit state need a permit before
  using or storing water
• Permits are to be issued unless not in the public
  interest or the source of supply is already fully
  appropriated
• Proof of beneficial use leads to adjudication,
  but not all rights need to be or are adjudicated
• State Engineer is to see that the maximum
  beneficial use of the States water is made
• Permits are regulated just like adjudicated water
  rights

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Goals of the State Engineers Office

• Provide for the proper regulation and
  administration of the waters of the State of
  Wyoming
• Preserve Wyomings water allocations to safeguard
  the States current and future water supplies
• Complete water resources information acquisition
  and transfer necessary for the appropriate
  management, regulation and administration of the
  States water resources

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Divisions of the State Engineers Office

• Surface Water and Engineering Division
• Ground Water Division
• Board of Control Division
• Support Services Division
• Interstate Streams Division

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Discussion of Water Availability for Future
Development and Use

• Current Issues and Concerns

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Ground Water Development Concerns

• Due to various constraints, certain areas may
  not be conducive to ground water development.
  For example
• Areas impacted by Court Decree or Interstate
  Compacts
• North Platte Modified Decree
• Bear River Compact
• Ground Water Control Areas (3)
• Populated areas where existing appropriators may
  be impacted

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Ground Water Development Concerns (continued)

• Fort Union Formation in the Powder River
  structural basin
• High Plains Aquifer in the southeast portion of
  the state.
• Conversion of agricultural lands to small acreage
  rural properties in areas of limited water
  availability
• Ground Water/Surface Water Interactions

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Ground Water Development Concerns (continued)

• Springs

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Springs/Flowing wells

• W.S. 41-3-933.  Express conditions limiting
  rights of appropriator additional conditions
• It is an express condition of each underground
  water permit that the right of the appropriator
  does not include the right to have the water
  level or artesian pressure at the appropriator's
  point of diversion maintained at any level or
  pressure higher than that required for maximum
  beneficial use of the water in the source of
  supply. The state engineer may issue any permits
  subject to such conditions as he may find to be
  in the public interest.
• (underline emphasis added)

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Spring Interference
How should we address springs involved in
interference claims? (Permits are conditioned
that artesian flows are not guaranteed.) Not
all Springs filed as Ground Water

• How involved should we get if a spring stops
  flowing?
• Would we actually regulate other appropriators in
  hopes that a spring would begin flowing again?

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Planning for Ground Water Management Plan
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Authority for Ground Water Plan
W.S. 41-3-909.  State engineer powers generally
 In the administration and enforcement of this
act 41-3-901 through 41-3-938 and in the
effectuation of the policy of the state to
conserve its underground water resources, the
state engineer is authorized and empowered on
advice and consent of the board of controlto
prescribe such rules and regulations as may be
necessary or desirable to enable him to
efficiently administer this act
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Multi Phase Project

• Phase I Investigate what has or is being done
  by other states/countries
• Phase II Use Phase I to set out goals or
  strategies to use within our current statutory
  framework and those which are not covered at
  present
• Phase III Recommend changes necessary to
  implement results of Phase II
• Phase IV Public approval and Legislative change

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Phase I

• Select list of States and Countries for technical
  staff to review and gather data
• Present summary of findings to project group
• Prepare list, as a group, of important management
  goals and strategies to implement those goals

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States and Countries Reviewed

• Arizona
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Texas
• Oklahoma
• Kansas
• Colorado
• South Dakota
• Montana
• Idaho

• Washington
• Nebraska
• Utah
• Wyoming
• Orange County, CA
• Victoria, Australia
• New South Wales, Australia
• Chile
• Mexico

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Phase II

• Select goals and strategies of interest to
  Wyoming
• Address feasibility of goals and strategies
  within current statutory and constitutional
  authority

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Some Goals or Strategies of Interest -list is
not complete or finalized

• Safe Yield
• Minimize Harm to Existing Rights
• Protect Senior Rights
• Planned Depletion
• Reduce Demand

• Minimize Restrictions
• Economic Efficiency
• Protect Water Quality
• Reasonable Use
• Ensure Adequate Supply

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This is a Work in Progress.This is dovetailed
with a re-write of the Regulations for Ground
Water and Minimum Well Construction
Standards.We have a timeline to meet.
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Other Efforts of Ground Water Use Quantification
present and future

• Basin Plans Basin Advisory Groups
• Compact and Decree Compliance
• State Geological Survey
• Local/County/State Coordination on Critical Areas

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Project by Local Governing Body

• Laramie County Aquifer Study
• Funded by Wyoming Water Development Commission
• Sponsored by Laramie County, Wyoming

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Project Objectives

• Give the county decision makers tools to make
  sound decisions for development (subdivision
  review/approval is main component)
• Includes
• Aquifer Assessment
• Water Resources Atlas
• Aquifer Management System
• Project will have Public Scoping Meeting
  September 27, 2007

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Thank You, a second time

• Visit our Website at
• http//seo.state.wy.us
• Comments are welcome
• We also still answer the telephone [phone]