Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources
Bim Kendall House
804 E Fremont St
Laramie, WY 82072
Phone: (307) 766-5080
Fax: (307) 766-5099
Email: haub.school@uwyo.edu
In October 2014, the Laramie County Commissioners created the Laramie County Control
Area Steering Committee and appointed 29 members representing water users in the county,
economic development interests, water conservation interests, and experts in water
use and allocation. The Commissioners charged the Steering Committee to develop creative
and effective options for reducing water use in the control area. The Steering Committee
has a deadline of April 1, 2015 to craft such measures, which will be forwarded to
the Laramie County Control Area Advisory Board and the State Engineer for consideration.
Control Area Groundwater Management Plan Produced by the Laramie County Control Area Steering Committee in March 2016.
Letter from Ruckelshaus Institute to Committee, March 2015
State Engineer's Open Letter to the Steering Committee
See also: State Engineer's Webpage About Laramie County Control Area
In the face of declining groundwater levels in the High Plains aquifer system in southeastern Wyoming, the State Engineer declared the eastern two-thirds of Laramie County to become a Groundwater Control Area – a special groundwater management district – in 1981. The Laramie County Control Area stretches from Cheyenne east to the Nebraska border, south to the Colorado border, and north to Platte and Goshen Counties. The High Plains aquifer system underlying most of Laramie County has been heavily used since the 1970s. In the Control Area, an application for a new water right or a petition to amend an existing water right may be subject to public notice, objections from existing water right holders, and hearings.
After 33 years as a “control area”, the water levels in the High Plains aquifer have continued to decline, especially in the eastern and southeastern part of the county. Responding to mounting concerns over increasing development and use of groundwater resources, the State Engineer issued a Temporary Order Adopting Well Spacing Requirements within the Laramie County Control Area on April 11, 2012. The Order temporarily limits groundwater development in the Laramie County Control Area. The order establishes well spacing restrictions (horizontally and vertically), as well as use limitations for most new groundwater applications in the Control Area.
Laramie County now faces the issue of how to sustainably manage an aquifer that is an important resource to its residents, especially the agricultural community, which has seen the most dramatic declines and relies on groundwater for its viability. The State Engineer has the authority under state law to regulate the use of the groundwater source in the control area by closing the control area to further water well permitting, placing caps on production, regulating wells by priority or developing a system of rotation of uses.
Wyoming state law also provides the opportunity for water users in the control area to develop their own alternative to a state engineer's order. A local agreement can invoke the tools available to the State Engineer, but is far more flexible and could include incentives, programs and other creative options to reduce water use in ways that the State Engineer is not empowered to do.A requirement in statute is that a locally led agreement must not injure any party not signatory to it, nor be detrimental to the public interest.
Steering Committee Group Charter - This document specifies the purpose of the committee and the product it is to deliver, that is, recommendations to the State Engineer to address declining groundwater levels in the Laramie County Control Area. The Control Area is an area that comprises the eastern 2/3 of Laramie County and was designated in the 1980s as a way to deal with declines in groundwater levels. The Charter also describes the ground rules for the committee. It is important to note that the committee is providing recommendations to the State Engineer for his consideration. The Committee cannot make decisions about what will happen with water use in the Control Area. Only the State Engineer can do that.
Role and Responsibility of the Ruckelshaus Institute- This document summarizes the role and responsibilities of the facilitators from the UW Ruckelshaus Institute.
Wyoming Statutes Chapter 41- Water- Section 41-3-915(c) is the section of the law regarding control areas; hearing to determine adequacy of water for all appropriators; corrective controls generally; agreements in lieu of controls.
State Engineer's Temporary Order- This is the order issued by the State Engineer in April 2012 that is currently in force to regulate groundwater withdrawals in the Laramie County Control Area.
Hydrogeologic Study of the Laramie County Control Area - This report was written following the issuance of the Temporary Order. In August 2012, the Wyoming State Engineer's Office contracted with AMEC Environment and Infrastructure, Hinckley Consulting, and HDR, Inc. to conduct a hydrogeologic study to inform and provide a scientific basis for future groundwater management decisions. This report presents the results of that study.
Presentation of the Laramie County Hydrogeologic Study- Bern Hinckley is a registered geologist who had participated in the Laramie County hydrogeologic study for the State Engineer's Office. He gave this presentation to the Steering Committee on December 1, 2014.
Groundwater Control Alternatives - This document provides some choices for the committee to consider in their recommendations
to the SEO. The committee may accept or reject any or all of these alternatives.
This simply provides a list of things they may want to consider and discuss.
Various members of the committee have generated proposals for conserving the aquifer. The committee will review and discuss these proposals and other conservation options as it develops its recommendations.
LCCA Framework Presentation- This is a presentation that summarizes a proposal submitted by irrigators on the committee for the committee’s consideration.
LCCA Framework Recommendations Document– This document describes the approach proposed by the irrigators on the committee for conserving the aquifer.
Water plan presented by the Laramie County Conservation District- This plan, adopted by the Laramie County Conservation District is another proposal that the committee will review and discuss.
Return to Laramie County Control Area Steering Committee main page.
|
Name |
Organization |
|
Bill Bonham |
Laramie County Stock Growers |
|
Randy Bruns |
Econ Development |
|
Jim Cochran |
LC Conservation District |
|
Bill Edwards |
Southeast Wyoming Builders Association |
|
Dennis Ellis |
Industry |
|
Dan Frank |
Laramie County Stock Growers |
|
Greg Gross |
Ag/Irrigators |
|
Kristi Hansen |
University of Wyoming |
|
Jim Hastings |
Alternate |
|
Gary Hickman |
Cheyenne/Laramie County Health |
|
Scott Horgen |
Industry |
|
Brenda Johnson |
Alternate |
|
Judy Johnstone |
Small municipalities |
|
Rick Kaysen |
City of Cheyenne |
|
Jim Lerwick |
Ag/Irrigators |
|
Brian Lovett |
LC Conservation District |
|
Leslie Mead |
South Cheyenne Community Development Association |
|
Max Minnick |
Cheyenne Board of Realtors |
|
Jim Murphy |
Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities |
|
Joe Patterson |
Southeast Wyoming Builders Association |
|
Bonnie Reider |
South Cheyenne Community Development Association |
|
Bill Shain |
Small municipalities |
|
Dale Steenbergen |
Econ Development |
|
Lars Story |
Industry |
|
Mike Sullivan |
City of Cheyenne |
|
Lisa Tabke |
Cheyenne Board of Realtors |
|
Tom Taylor |
Private Property Owner |
|
Tim Wilson |
Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities |
|
Scott Zimmerman |
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union |
Meeting 1, November 10, 2014
Meeting 2, December 1, 2014
Meeting 3, December 15, 2014
Meeting 4, January 5, 2015
Meeting 5, January 19, 2015
Meeting 6, February 2, 2015
Meeting 7, February 16, 2015 (note: change of time, 5:30-8:30pm)
Meeting 8, March 2, 2015 (5:30-8:30pm)
Meeting 9, March 16, 2015 (5:30-8:30pm)
Meeting 10, March 31, 2015 (6pm-8:30, please note time change)
Meeting 11, May 4, 2015 (5:30-8:30pm)
Meeting 12, May 18, 2015 (5:30-8:30pm)
Meeting 13, June 1, 2015 (5:30-8:30)
Meeting 14, June 15, 2015 (5:30-8:30)
Meeting 15, August 31, 2015 (5:30-8:30) in room 1699 (Hearing Room on main floor)
Meeting 16, September 21, 2015 (5:30-8) in room 1699 (Hearing Room on main floor)
Meeting 17, October 5, 2015 (5:30-8) in room 1699 (Hearing Room on main floor)
Meeting 18, November 2, 2015 (5:30-8) in room 1699 (Hearing Room on main floor)
Meeting 19 November 30, 2015 (5:30-8) in room 1699 (Hearing Room on main floor)
Meeting 20 December 14, 2015 (5:30-8) in room 1699 (Hearing Room on main floor)
Meeting 21 January 4, 2016 (5:30-8) in room 1699 (Hearing Room on main floor)
Meeting 22 February 29, 2016 (5:30-8) in room 1699 (Hearing Room on main floor)
Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources
Bim Kendall House
804 E Fremont St
Laramie, WY 82072
Phone: (307) 766-5080
Fax: (307) 766-5099
Email: haub.school@uwyo.edu