Wyoming State Engineer's Office

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, ca. 1869-1883

Reasonable Summary of Preliminary Opinion on a Proposal to Use Water Outside Wyoming

Pursuant to W.S. § 41-3-115, regarding applications for use of water outside the state, the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office (SEO) seeks public comment pertaining to the export of storage water from Pathfinder Reservoir in conjunction with the Pathfinder Modification Project (PMP). The SEO has received an application to export water from the Bureau of Reclamation, and has deemed that application to be complete and acceptable. The SEO has undertaken a review of the application and has prepared a preliminary analysis of it. Based on this analysis, Mr. Tyrrell’s opinion is that the application sufficiently addresses relevant statutory requirements. He therefore recommends that the application proceed through the statutory process for approval.

You may attend the public hearing in Casper and make relevant verbal comments and/or submit written comments, data or other relevant information. For the public hearing, comments on this proposal will be taken by Mr. Pat Tyrrell, Wyoming State Engineer, on December 12, 2008 in the Agricultural Learning Center in Casper, Wyoming, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Written comments, data, and relevant information will be accepted no later than January 2, 2009. All mailed comments must be postmarked no later than December 30, 2008 to be accepted for consideration by the State Engineer. Written comments, data, and relevant information should be submitted to:

Wyoming State Engineer, c/o Pathfinder Modification Project,
122 W. 25th St.,
Cheyenne, WY 82002.

Anchor Reservoir History

Strategic Plan

The State Engineer's Office has completed the 2009 -2012 Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan sets out seven performance measures to gauge select services that the agency provides to the public. A performance measure has been established for each of the following areas:

Surface Water Division - permitting
Ground Water Division - permitting
Board of Control - petition processing
Water Commissioners and Superintendents - appeals of field decisions
Water Commissioners - response to calls for regulation
Water Division II - reservoir inspections
Board of Control - proof processing

Questions or comments may be sent to Harry LaBonde, Deputy State Engineer
Herschler Building, 4E
122 West 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002
hlabon@seo.wyo.gov
(307) 777-6150

Notices

The Wyoming State Engineer’s Office intends to promulgate new rules in Chapter 1 of the State Engineer’s Office and Wyoming State Board of Control rules, entitled “Fees”. Click here to read more.

Fees, Wyoming State Engineer’s Office, Wyoming State Board of Control

Forms are in .PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader

Flow Summary
Daily Wind River and Big Horn River flow levels - (307) 856-2912
Daily Regulation information for Owl Creek Water Users - (307) 867-2472
Daily Regulation information for
Greybull River Drainage Water Users - (307) 868-2524

The mission of the Wyoming State Engineer's Office and Board of Control is to provide for the general supervision and protection of both inter- and intra-state waters of this state. This includes the appropriation, distribution and application to beneficial use of water as provided under the prior appropriation doctrine, and to maintain the flexibility within that framework to meet the changing needs of the citizens of Wyoming. The State Engineer's Office collects, analyzes, maintains and provides water related information for ensuring the appropriate management and regulation of Wyoming's water resources.

Permitting and Adjudication of Water Rights - prior to using any water in the state, the appropriator is required to obtain a permit. The permit is the first step in acquiring a water right and it defines the conditions of use as well as the priority date. Once a permit has been issued, the permit holder may begin construction of the facility (well, ditch, reservoir, etc.) and begin beneficial use of Wyoming water.

Upon satisfying the conditions of the permit, the appropriator may file a notice of beneficial use and seek adjudication of the water right by the Board of Control (BOC). The employees involved in permitting and adjudication of water rights are primarily located in the Herschler Building in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Administration and Regulation – Wyoming has an arid climate and most areas of the state experience water shortages at some point during the year. During these times, water is allocated to senior water users based upon the doctrine of prior appropriation and numerous Wyoming Statutes that support this doctrine. This administration and regulation is supervised by the agency’s four Division Superintendents. Each Superintendent is located in one of the four Division offices (Torrington, Sheridan, Riverton, and Cokeville). Each Superintendent has a staff of Hydrographer/ Water Commissioners that are located in 24 offices across the state. These employees are responsible to allocate water by field regulating headgates, pumps, stream diversions, etc.
Administration of Interstate Compacts and Decrees – Wyoming is party to seven interstate water compacts and three interstate court decrees. These documents define the amounts of water that Wyoming must provide to downstream states. A staff of four employees in Cheyenne maintains contact with adjoining states and federal agencies to assure compliance with various compacts and decrees. Additionally, they monitor federal actions that might impair Wyoming’s ability to use its water.

State Engineer: Patrick T. Tyrrell
122 West 25^th Street
4th Floor East
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307) 777-6150
Fax: (307) 777-5451
Email: seoleg@seo.wyo.gov