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HB0073 • 2022

Omnibus water bill-planning.

AN ACT relating to water development projects; authorizing specified level I and level II studies; providing appropriations; requiring reports; providing for the reversion of unexpended funds; authorizing unobligated funds to be used to complete other designated projects as specified; providing an appropriation for the office of water programs; extending reversion and study dates; and providing for an effective date.

Budget
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Water
Last action
2022-03-15
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
3/15/2022

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide detailed information on which stakeholders will benefit from the studies beyond mentioning Wyoming's water project stakeholders.

Water Development Projects Act

This law provides funding and authorization for various water development studies, including reconnaissance and feasibility studies, and establishes reporting requirements.

What This Bill Does

  • Provides money to conduct new Level I (reconnaissance) and Level II (feasibility) studies for water projects in Wyoming.
  • Requires the Water Development Commission to report on these studies before the 2024 legislative session.
  • Funds the Office of Water Programs within the University of Wyoming for two years starting July 1, 2022.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Water Development Commission
  • Water project stakeholders in Wyoming

Terms To Know

Level I study (reconnaissance)
A preliminary investigation to identify potential water projects and their benefits.
Level II study (feasibility)
A detailed analysis of a specific project's technical, economic, and environmental aspects.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify who will benefit from the studies beyond mentioning stakeholders in Wyoming.
  • Some funds may revert to water development accounts if they are not used by certain dates.

Bill History

  1. 2022-03-15 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 84

  2. 2022-03-15 Governor

    Governor Signed HEA No. 0051

  3. 2022-03-10 Senate

    S President Signed HEA No. 0051

  4. 2022-03-10 House

    H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0051

  5. 2022-03-10 LSO

    Assigned Number HEA No. 0051

  6. 2022-03-10 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 29-0-1-0-0

  7. 2022-03-09 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2022-03-08 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  9. 2022-03-07 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  10. 2022-03-07 Senate

    S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 4-0-1-0-0

  11. 2022-03-04 Senate

    S05 - Agriculture:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0

  12. 2022-03-04 Senate

    S05 - Agriculture:Rerefer to S02 - Appropriations

  13. 2022-03-01 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S05 - Agriculture

  14. 2022-02-28 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  15. 2022-02-28 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 58-1-1-0-0

  16. 2022-02-25 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  17. 2022-02-24 House

    H COW:Passed

  18. 2022-02-22 House

    H Placed on General File

  19. 2022-02-22 House

    H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 7-0-0-0-0

  20. 2022-02-18 House

    H05 - Agriculture:Rerefer to H02 - Appropriations

  21. 2022-02-18 House

    H05 - Agriculture:Recommend Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0

  22. 2022-02-15 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H05 - Agriculture 60-0-0-0-0

  23. 2022-02-11 House

    H Received for Introduction

  24. 2022-02-07 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 22LSO-0344
Bill No.:

HB0073

Effective:

Immediately

LSO No.:

22LSO-0344

Enrolled Act No.:

HEA No. 0051

Chapter No.:

84

Prime Sponsor:

Select Water Committee

Catch Title:

Omnibus water bill-planning.

Subject:

Provides authorization and funding for water development program studies.

Summary/Major Elements:

Authorizes and provides funding for specified Wyoming Water Development Program reconnaissance (Level I) and feasibility (Level II) studies.

Amends prior reconnaissance and feasibility studies.

Provides funding for the Office of Water Programs within the University of Wyoming.

Comments:

See also the companion bill, Senate File 80, Omnibus water bill – planning.
Requires the Water Development Commission to provide a report to the legislature for each of the funded reconnaissance and feasibility studies.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
22LSO-0344

ORIGINAL House

Bill No
.
HB0073

ENROLLED ACT NO. 51,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2022 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to water development projects; authorizing specified level I and level II studies; providing appropriations; requiring reports; providing for the reversion of unexpended funds; authorizing unobligated funds to be used to complete other designated projects as specified; providing an appropriation for the office of water programs; extending reversion and study dates; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

[2022-2023 WATER PROGRAM]
[AUTHORIZED LEVEL I AND LEVEL II STUDIES]

Section 1
.

LEVEL I RECONNAISSANCE STUDIES – NEW DEVELOPMENT
. The following sums of money are appropriated from water development account I, as created by W.S. 41
‑
2
‑
124(a)(i), to the water development commission to be expended to conduct the following reconnaissance studies as defined in W.S. 41-2-114. Funds appropriated under this section for a particular study that are in excess of the actual amount necessary to complete the study may, subject to the review and recommendation of the select water committee, be expended by the commission to complete any other reconnaissance study listed in this section. Appropriated funds not expended or obligated prior to July 1, 2025 shall revert to water development account I. The commission shall submit a report to the legislature on each of the following studies prior to the 2024 legislative session:

[LEVEL I RECONNAISSANCE STUDIES - NEW DEVELOPMENT]

Project

Location

Appropriation

Clarks Fork Upper Shoshone

Watershed Study

Park County

$396,000
Dayton Water Master Plan

Sheridan
County

$167,000
Riverton Regional Water

Master Plan

Fremont
County

$256,000
UW Water Research Program

Statewide

$310,277
Total appropriation for Section 1

$1,129,277

Section 2
.

LEVEL II FEASIBILITY STUDIES – NEW DEVELOPMENT
. The following sums of money are appropriated from water development account I, as created by W.S. 41
‑
2
‑
124(a)(i), to the water development commission to be expended to conduct the following feasibility studies as defined in W.S. 41-2-114. Funds appropriated under this section for a particular study that are in excess of the actual amount necessary to complete the study may, subject to the review and recommendation of the select water committee, be expended by the commission to complete any other feasibility study listed in this section. Appropriated funds not expended or obligated prior to July 1, 2025 shall revert to water development account I. The commission shall submit a report to the legislature on each of the following studies prior to the 2024 legislative session:

[LEVEL II FEASIBILITY STUDIES - NEW DEVELOPMENT]

PROJECT

LOCATION

APPROPRIATION

Cloud Seeding: Operations
Hydrological Assessment Medicine
Bow & Sierra Madre Mountain

Albany and Carbon
Ranges

Counties

$300,000
Fontenelle Reservoir Storage

Lincoln and Sweetwater

Counties

$1,700,000
LaGrange Groundwater Supply
& Improvements

Goshen County

$725,000
Pavillion Groundwater Supply

Fremont County

$687,000
Total appropriation for Section 2

$3,412,000

Section 3.

LEVEL I RECONNAISSANCE STUDIES – REHABILITATION
. The following sums of money are appropriated from water development account II, as created by W.S. 41
‑
2
‑
124(a)(ii), to the water development commission to be expended to conduct the following reconnaissance studies as defined in W.S. 41
‑
2
‑
114. Funds appropriated under this section for a particular study that are in excess of the actual amount necessary to complete the study may, subject to the review and recommendation of the select water committee, be expended by the commission to complete any other reconnaissance study listed in this section. Appropriated funds not expended or obligated prior to July 1, 2025 shall revert to water development account II. The commission shall submit a report to the legislature on each of the following studies prior to the 2024 legislative session:

[LEVEL I RECONNAISSANCE STUDIES - REHABILITATION]

Project

Location

Appropriation

Critical Aging Irrigation

Infrastructure Assessment

Statewide

$500,000
West Afton/Nield String
Master Plan

Lincoln County

$88,000
Total appropriation for Section 3

$588,000

Section 4.

LEVEL II
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
– REHABILITATION
. The following sums of money are appropriated from water development account II, as created by W.S. 41
‑
2
‑
124(a)(ii), to the water development commission to be expended to conduct the following feasibility study as defined in W.S. 41
‑
2
‑
114. Appropriated funds not expended or obligated prior to July 1, 2025 shall revert to water development account II. The commission shall submit a report to the legislature on the following study prior to the 2024 legislative session:

[LEVEL II FEASIBILITY STUDIES - REHABILITATION]

Project

Location

Appropriation

Dowlin Diversion Rehabilitation

Albany County

$110,000
Total appropriation for Section 4

$110,000

Section 5.

There is appropriated one hundred seventy
‑
five thousand dollars ($175,000.00) to the water development commission from water development account I
,
as created by W.S. 41
‑
2
‑
124(a)(i),

to fund the office of water programs established under W.S. 41
‑
2
‑
125 for the period beginning July 1, 2022 and ending June 30, 2024. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2024.

Section 6.

2017 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 65, Section 5 is amended to read:

Section 5.

LEVEL II FEASIBILITY STUDIES – DAMS AND RESERVOIRS
.

(a)

The following sums of money are appropriated from water development account III, as created by W.S. 41-2-124(a)(iii), to the water development commission to be expended to conduct the following feasibility studies as defined in W.S. 41-2-114. Funds appropriated under this section for a particular project
which
that
are in excess of the actual amount necessary to complete the study may, subject to the review of the select water committee, be expended by the commission to complete
the
any other
feasibility study
for any other project
listed in this section.
Appropriated
Except as provided in subsection (b), appropriated
funds not obligated prior to July 1, 2022 shall revert to water development account III.
The
Except as provided
in subsection (b), the
commission shall submit a report to the legislature on each of the following studies prior to the 2021 legislative session:

[LEVEL II FEASIBILITY STUDIES – DAMS AND RESERVOIRS]

PROJECT

LOCATION

APPROPRIATION

Big Wind River Storage Study, Fremont County

$475,000

Phase II
Greybull Valley ID Storage

Big Horn and Park

$500,000

Enlargement, Phase II

Counties
Little Wind River Storage

Fremont County
$475,000
$625,000

Study, Phase II

New Fork Lake Dam Enlargement, Sublette County

$450,000

Phase II
Stateline Dam Enlargement,

Uinta County

$300,000
a
1

Phase II
West Fork Reservoir, Phase III

Carbon County

$6,220,000
Total
2017
appropriation for Section 5

$8,420,000
Total 2022 appropriation for Section 5

$150,000
Footnotes:

(a)
(1)

Funds from this appropriation shall not be expended until the water development commission has accepted the Level II, Phase I Meeks Cabin Dam Enlargement study.

(b)

Funds not obligated prior to July 1, 2027, for the Little Wind River Storage Study, Phase II and the West Fork Reservoir, Phase III studies, shall revert to water development account III. The commission shall submit a report to the legislature on each of these studies prior to the 2026 legislative session.

Section 7
.

This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk

1