Tuesday, September 2, 2025 |
The topic of Wyoming water, from current weather conditions to the forecast for pending litigation with downstream states in the Colorado River Basin, were discussed last Thursday during a legislative committee meeting.
The Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands, and Water Resources Committee met in Casper. Representative Bob Davis of Baggs is a house member. Republican John Winter of Cody chaired the joint panel last week with Senator Bob Ide of Casper. The joint hearing was held at Casper College.
The Wyoming State Deputy Engineer, Jack Morey, provided the committee with an overview of his agency’s work and the hot topics.
At the top of the list was the condition of dams in the state. According to Morey, almost half of the dams in Wyoming – 41% — are in poor condition. Of the 97 dams that are rated in poor condition, the U.S. government owns 29 of them, the state owns two, and the remainder are privately owned—either by individuals or companies. Morey summed it up.
Reservoirs are an issue in some parts of Wyoming. An ongoing lack in water supply is the issue in other areas, including the Platte Valley. The cool, wetter weather late last week and into the weekend was welcome. The hot, dry weather this summer has been felt across the state.
Morey said the water agency has 17 calls for regulation now in Division 1, here in southeast Wyoming.
Water conservation and partnerships at the local level and the interstate level dominated much of the meeting from here, starting with what’s happening in Carbon County.
Draft legislation is likely to come next year from the meetings held across southern Wyoming.
Deputy State Engineer Morey also discussed an interim topic that he advised lawmakers will be seeing during the session next year. It involves developing a pilot water conservation program for the Green River and Little Snake River Basins.
The discussion then turned to the pressure Wyoming is receiving from downstream users on the Colorado River. The tug of war could wind up in court.
Representative Pepper Ottman, of Fremont County, was warmly candid in her welcome to Deputy Director Morey.
The Fremont County representative then asked how some communities in the state are growing despite the concern about water.
Wyoming’s Supervising Attorney General, Christopher Brown, then handled additional questions. Brown is a senior attorney who specifically represents the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office and is responsible for advising on all water-related issues across the state, including interstate river compacts like those associated with the Colorado River.
Brown said the state believes it is operating within the law. States downstream disagree, and processes are in place to guide the way, even through the courts if necessary. The water boss called them “pinch spots,” where trouble is waiting along the Colorado River.
The state is working with other states to develop, what the state attorney called, “consensus agreements.”
He described the solutions as striving to be flexible with built-in adjustment to changes in the natural world.
He used the city of Laramie as a reason to avoid “binary solutions.” Laramie bought a ranch to use the water rights.
Water demand in the lower basin states consistently exceeds supply, with the Lower Basin using an average of 1.2 million acre-feet more annually than it receives, leading to a long-term deficit that threatens water security.
They’re looking at headwater states like Wyoming for more water as negotiators work against the clock to agree on a new water sharing plan after the current plan expires at the end of 2026.
The states have until November 11th to tell the federal government whether they will have a deal and until February 14th to submit a detailed plan.
