The Colorado River system is near collapse, endangering the drinking water, electricity and agriculture that roughly 40 million people rely on. What does that mean for Upper Basin states, like Wyoming, including users in Wyoming’s Green and Little Snake River basins?
Wyoming’s Colorado River water rights in jeopardy without improved info, official warns
Gebhart says accurate measures vital to preserving Wyoming water uses in face of downstream demands, dwindling flows.
Feds to review cost, benefit estimates for originally $80M West Fork Dam
The controversial proposal to plug a deep canyon in the Sierra Madre Mountains will undergo more scrutiny with a $200,000 allocation.
Using less of the Colorado River takes a willing farmer and $45 million in federal funds
Program pays eligible water users in Wyoming and three other Upper Basin states to leave their fields dry for the irrigation season and let that water flow downstream.
Could Wyoming water get piped to Colorado? A decades-old plan resurfaces
Project has a number of hurdles, including pending federal and state authorizations and wildlife concerns, but the process was set in motion last winter.
West Fork Dam size in flux as feds reconsider Wyoming plan
Some proposals for more irrigation in the Little Snake River Valley are uneconomical, feds say as they consider “changing the scope” of reservoir project.
Lawmaker says irrigators can’t afford Forest Service fees
Plans are underway to transform New Fork Lake near Pinedale as ranchers fret over potential costs.
Wyoming will oppose $400M water conservation grants it can’t control
State joins Colorado, Utah and New Mexico in challenging federal grant program available through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Memo: West Fork Dam ‘does not align well’ with federal policy
A critical assessment by a Forest Service specialist in 2022 cast doubts on whether a proposed and controversial reservoir meets federal standards.
Alternative sites examined for West Fork Dam
More detailed analysis is underway for “less environmentally impactful” locations for the proposed 264-foot high concrete West Fork Dam and 130-acre reservoir.
Colorado River crisis taps hard questions
A new podcast, Thirst Gap, explores what it means to live with less water.
Game & Fish: West Fork Dam would cause ‘substantial negative impacts’
Whether habitat-focused mitigation efforts would offset damage ‘is not known,’ state wildlife agency says.
96% of West Fork Dam comments oppose project
899 of 936 submissions tell two federal agencies to reject the plan to build a 264-foot-high dam for 44 interested irrigators.
Extra releases from Flaming Gorge suspended
The Bureau of Reclamation agreed to halt the releases at the request of Upper Colorado River Basin states due to above-average precipitation.
Colorado River states fail to strike agreement; feds may step in
A six-state proposal that excludes California centers on a framework for reaching consensus on water conservation amid the Colorado River crisis.
Feds eye $20M for embattled dam as public demands answers
The U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service will likely request some $20-million for the West Fork Dam on the Colorado border, a potential new funding source for the contested project.
Authorities scramble to entice paid, volunteer water savings
Upper Colorado River Basin officials will accept ‘incomplete’ applications to jump-start participation in water conservation program this spring.
Leery of open forum, water group struggles to inform public
Wyoming’s Colorado River Working Group serves as a conduit between water users and state engineer’s office.
Plans for 264-foot dam above Little Snake River spur conflict
Above the Colorado-Wyoming border, the Sierra Madre Mountain snowpack holds water that ranchers say flows downstream too fast. Some question whether a proposed 10,000-acre-foot reservoir is pork or progress.
Feds set deadline for West Fork Dam comments
The clock begins ticking for the public to weigh in on a new reservoir, proposed mainly for irrigation, above the Little Snake, Yampa, Green and Colorado Rivers.
Wyo seeks 6,282-acre land swap for new Colorado River Basin dam
Wyoming’s land board applied for a swap with the Forest Service in November. Dam backers have scheduled January public meetings in two weeks.
Water officials reboot paid, volunteer conservation program
Colorado River upper basin states, including Wyoming, hope paying irrigators to keep water in streams will help satisfy federal call for voluntary water conservation.
Water managers: Lower Flaming Gorge levels the ‘new norm,’ for now
The Bureau of Reclamation will continue to rely on Flaming Gorge to back up hydropower generation at downstream reservoirs, meaning diminished levels will likely persist.
Municipal water among most vulnerable in Colorado River crisis
Although municipalities make up a small percentage of Wyoming water users under the Colorado River Compact, their legal claims to the water are among the most vulnerable.
Study to defend Green, Little Snake water would cost at least $500K
Lawmakers will seek money to determine Colorado River Basin water losses from Wyoming irrigation canals in hopes of staving off reductions.
Wyoming girds for a fight over Green, Little Snake River water
State believes water cuts, if drought continues, won’t happen before 2028. Other stakeholders may disagree.
Flaming Gorge drawdown threatens local fishing, recreation economy
The reservoir has been tapped for extra water to help maintain critical levels at Lake Powell, stranding boat ramps and changing fishery dynamics.
State: Water cuts might be forced on Wyo by 2025
Water users subject to the Colorado River Compact must prepare and consider voluntary conservation measures, state officials say.
Water authority to present options for Colorado River Basin water crisis
The State Engineer’s Office will host a public meeting Sept. 27 in Pinedale to discuss water conservation, voluntary cutbacks and Wyoming’s obligations vis-a-vis the regional resource calamity.
Wyo dodges cuts in Colorado River water crisis
As the Colorado River system reaches a “tipping point,” Wyoming officials are reluctant to commit to sending additional water downstream or impose water-use restrictions.
Wyoming options limited in Colorado River drought effort
State officials say they won’t provide specific water volume savings in response to a federal request to send more water downstream in 2023.
Drought prompts ‘unprecedented’ Flaming Gorge drawdown
The release of an extra 500,000 acre feet of water is intended to help maintain hydroelectric power generation at Lake Powell.
Officials scrutinize cloud seeding program
Two water development officials have criticized a proposed expansion of the state’s cloud seeding program into the Little Snake River valley. State Sen. Larry Hicks (R-Baggs) objected to adding $150,000 to expand the program to include the west slope of the Sierra Madre above Savery and Baggs. Wyoming doesn’t use or get credit for any…
Wyo preps for less water as drought creeps up Colorado River
As the first-ever official shortage hits the basin, a top federal official believes the state can responsibly execute its plans to hold even more water behind dams.
Wyo looks to store, divert more water as Lake Powell dries up
Five water storage projects underway in Wyoming would capture or use 115,000 acre-feet from an already strained basin. Wyoming is bent on accomplishing its goals.
‘Huge’ state-federal land swap could expedite dam approval
State land board votes to analyze an exchange with Forest Service that would facilitate construction of 280-foot-high West Fork Dam above Baggs.
Grant advances stalled plans for 280-foot-high dam
State will match grant to help consultants decide whether to pursueNational Forest land swap or a permit for the controversial $82-million West Fork Dam above Little Snake River. Reservoir would aid as few as 67 irrigators.
As water shortages loom, Wyo seeks water-bank bill
Lawmakers seek “beneficial use” label for drought mitigation, security against downstream demands.