Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics (WyCEHG) will be involved in the process of research and development of the new wells and water resources in general in Laramie.
The city’s water resource specialist gave an annual update on the water resources of Laramie to city council at a work session on Tuesday. The importance of the Monolith Ranch regarding the future of Laramie was also discussed.
Water Resource Specialist Darren Parkin said that research would be beginning this year and development of new wells could happen as soon as the next fiscal year.
“So far, talks are being pretty productive,” Parkin told the council.
He said he is in the works of collaborating with UW’s Geophysics and Geology departments to have them involved in the process. Parkin told the council that he believes the university is a good resource that has been under-utilized thus far in development. Parkin said the department is “sitting” on huge grants and are constantly looking for new research opportunities.
“Collaboration with (WyCEHG) has already started,” said Parkin. “Their ultimate goal is a 3-D model of the subsurface.”
Parkin’s goal is to start on the process of developing new wells. He said they would hire outside representation as the first step.
“We would hope to get the request out in about 30 days,” said Parkin. “We are hiring a professional geologist to come in and do some designing and develop a report.”
Any physical drilling of new wells would happen in July at the soonest, said Parkin.
In Parkin’s annual update, he gave an overview of the Monolith Ranch and discussed the ultimate goals of the ranch.
The city owns a ranch because of water rights. In 15 to 50 years, the city may extend far enough south that the water used for agriculture may need to be used for municipal purposes. When that transfer eventually happens, the transfer to municipal use will only be allowed to be at the percentage the ranch was using prior to the transfer.
Realistically, Parkin said, certain areas in the ranch can use 90 percent of the water to extinction now. When the transfer would happen, 90 percent of the water can be used for municipal purposes.
Parkin said that areas of the ranch might not transfer to municipal areas until “everyone in the room is gone,” but that it is being set up so resources can be available when the transfer does happen.
At the work session the council reviewed next week’s regular meeting agenda. Council has set to discuss Western Research Institute’s expansion next Tuesday along with other agenda items in the City Council Chambers in City Hall.
