State Engineer’s Office Hosts Public Meeting on Draft of Laramie County Water Study

The Wyoming State Engineer’s Office will host a public meeting on January 17, 2014 to present the draft results of the Hydrogeologic Study of the Laramie County Control Area.

Responding to mounting concerns over increasing development and use of groundwater resources in southeast Wyoming, the State Engineer issued a Temporary Order Adopting Well Spacing Requirements within the Laramie County Control Area on April 11, 2012. The Temporary Order established well spacing restrictions (horizontally and vertically) as well as use limitations for most new groundwater applications and changes to existing water rights within the Laramie County Control Area.

Following issuance of the Temporary Order, the State Engineer’s Office contracted with AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Hinckley Consulting, and HDR, Inc. in August 2012 to conduct the Hydrogeologic Study of the Laramie County Control Area. The purpose of the study is to use existing geologic, hydrogeologic, and water rights information to model the groundwater resources in the Control Area. Using those results, the study will be used to inform future groundwater management decisions, whether through processes instituted by the SEO or by voluntary action, as well as evaluate the presence of appropriable water.

The Temporary Order was initially scheduled to remain in effect until October 1, 2013. However, due to time extensions needed to finish the hydrogeologic analysis and time needed to prepare options for presentation to the Laramie County Control Area for preserving and/or extending the groundwater resources of the area, the State Engineer extended the temporary order through March 31, 2014.

The meeting will begin at 2 p.m. and will be held in the downstairs meeting room at the Wyoming Water Development Commission in Cheyenne. The purpose of the meeting is to present the draft study report and findings to the public.