Committee Meeting Information

August 21 & 22, 2008

City Hall

Alpine, Wyoming

 

Committee Members Present

Representative Rodney “Pete” Anderson, CoChairman

Senator Gerald E. Geis, CoChairman

Senator Pat Aullman

Senator Drew Perkins

Senator Bill Vasey

Representative Owen Petersen

Representative Lorraine Quarberg

 

Committee Members Absent

Senator Chuck Townsend

Senator Rae Lynn Job

Representative Stan Blake

Representative Ross Diercks

Representative Frank Philp

 

 

Legislative Service Office Staff

Mark Quiner, Assistant Director

 

Others Present at Meeting

Wyoming Water Development Office: Mike Purcell, Director

Please refer to Appendix 1 to review the Committee Sign-in Sheet
for a list of other individuals who attended the meeting.

Call To Order (August 21, 2008)

The Select Water Committee and the Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC) went on a water tour beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Alpine area.  Appendix 2 provides a schedule of the tour.

 

Call To Order (August 22, 2008)

CoChairman Anderson called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.  The following sections summarize the Committee proceedings by topic.  Please refer to Appendix 3 to review the Committee Meeting Agenda.

 

Approval of Minutes

Senator Geis moved that the minutes from the June 5, 2008 Committee meeting be approved with no changes.  The motion passed.

 

Planning Study Amendments & Contracts

Mr. Jon Wade of the Wyoming Water Development Office (WWDO) and various WWDO staff explained the following project planning document:

 

• Cheyenne/Laramie County Water Service Area, level II Study, Final Amendment

• Goshen Irrigation District Master Plan, level I/Final Amendment

• MOU between WWDC/UW – High Savery Morphology, Amendment I

• Owl Creek Irrigation District Storage Study, level II/Final Amendment

• South Thermopolis Water Supply, Level II – Amendment I

• Weather Modification 5 year Pilot Program (Operations), Level II Study, Medicine Bow, Sierra Madre & Wind River Ranges, Amendment III

 

Following discussion, WWDC approved the contract amendments.  (Note:  No Committee approval was required.)

 

Operating Criteria for Small Water Project Program

Mr. Purcell explained the criteria including the process whereby the criteria were developed.  Following discussion, the WWDC approved the criteria.

 

Senator Geis moved the Committee approve the criteria as drafted.  The motion passed.

 

Groundwater grant application

Mr. Purcell explained the grant application from the city of Cheyenne.  The city is applying for $400,000 for projects relating to aquifer storage and recovery.  The project will expand and enhance municipal water supplies.

 

Mr. Kevin Boyce of the WWDO explained the city of Cheyenne has previously applied for 3 grants and have received all the grants for 3 separate projects.

 

Mr. Tim Wilson of the Cheyenne Board of  Public Utilities gave more information on the application.  He stated that the city had done a master plan in 2004 looking at future water needs for the next 50 years.  In 2050 the study projected Cheyenne will have a population of 107,302 requiring 29,000 acre feet of water.  Belvoir Ranch has around 17,000 acres, and the initial purpose of purchasing the ranch was to develop water supplies for the city and to explore a suitable site for a landfill.

 

Following discussion, WWDC approved the grant application.

 

Senator Geis stated the Committee should also express its support for the application.  Various members of the Committee then discussed their reasons for supporting the application.

 

Miscellaneous Items

 

Small Water Project Applications

Mr. Ron Vore of the WWDO explained the applications for the small water project program.  There is a $100,000 limit on funding per project, while the WWDC can provide up to $25,000 per project.  The Water Development Commission (WWDC) approved the following applications:  Little Grass Creek; West Prospect, Otty, Urwin pipeline; and Jesse Brown Diversion & Headwall.

 

Nebraska Land-Lease Agreement

Mr. Purcell explained that the state owns 450 acres in Nebraska as part of the North Platte River settlement/mitigation.  Mr. Purcell sought approval from the WWDC for a lease agreement on the land between the State of Wyoming and the Platte River Recovery Implementation Foundation.  Following discussion, WWDC approved the lease.

 

Financial Status Report

Mr. Purcell explained the following water accounts have the indicated balances available for appropriation for 2009:

Account I - $47.3 million

Account II - $19.2 million

Account III - $144.9 million.

 

Slow Construction Projects (Level III)

Mr. Purcell reviewed the list of construction projects that are not proceeding in a timely manner.  He indicated the WWDO will follow up with each sponsor to find out the status of each project.

 

Uinta County Projects

Representative Petersen provided an update on several water projects ongoing in Uinta County.  Representative Petersen thanked the staff of the WWDO for their hard work on behalf of Uinta County.

 

Meeting Adjournment

The next meeting was scheduled for November 5 through 7, 2008 in Casper at the Wyoming Oil & Gas Commission as a joint meeting with the WWDC.  The following meeting for the Select Water Committee will be December 17, 2009 in Cheyenne.

                              . 

There being no further business, CoChairman Anderson adjourned the meeting at 10:10 a.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

 

Representative Rodney Pete Anderson, CoChairman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix		Appendix Topic		Appendix Description		Appendix Provider
1		Committee Sign-In Sheet		Lists meeting attendees		Legislative Service Office
2		Water Tour		Provides a list of topics and sites for the water tour		Local Parties
3		Committee Meeting Agenda		Provides an outline of the topics the Committee planned to address at meeting		Water Development Office