Wyoming Association of
Rural Water Systems
Harry LaBonde Jr, P.E.
Director
Wyoming Water Development Office
April 19, 2016
Topics
• Full Evaluation Study of the WWDC
• Wyoming Water Development Revenues
• Fontenelle Dam and Outworks Infrastructure
• Glendo Reservoir Full Utilization Project
Full Evaluation Study of the WWDC
• Scoping paper authorized December 2014
• Full Evaluation Study authorized July 2015
• Report Development July – November 2015
• Final Report released January 6, 2016
• Nine recommendations
• Four policy considerations
Full Evaluation Study of the WWDC
• Recommendations
• Three (3) minor recommendations involving minutes,
financial disclosures and conflicts of interest
• One (1) in which Legislature could better define
agency-commission governance
• Five (5) significant recommendations
• Reservoir O&M accounts
• Project Prioritization
• Rules and regulations
• Consultant selection processes at the WWDC
• Agency/commission governance
Full Evaluation Study of the WWDC
• Recommendation 2.1 – Reservoir O&M Accounts
• WWDC maintains eight (8) reservoir O&M accounts
• Purpose is to pay for facility O&M requirements
• All water sale revenues deposited into accounts
• Some accounts are growing, some are not
• W.S 99-99-1001(c) requires that excess funds in
accounts be deposited into WDA I
• Recommendation requires WWDC to make a
determination on excess funds
• Two (2) accounts currently have excess funds
• Expect final recommendations by May 2016
Full Evaluation Study of the WWDC
• Recommendation 3.1 – Project Prioritization
• Currently WWDC uses the Operating Criteria
• Recommendation is seeking a more defined process
• Statutes
• Operating Criteria
• Funding constraints
• Project’s ability to move forward
• Emergent funding needs
• Phasing of projects
• Expect draft guidelines by August 2016
Full Evaluation Study of the WWDC
• Recommendation 4.1 Develop New Rules
• Current rules total 7 pages
• Operating Criteria total 31 pages
• Recommendation seeks to move more criteria to rules
• Expect draft rules and criteria revisions by August
2016
Full Evaluation Study of the WWDC
• Recommendation 4.5 – Consultant Selection
Criteria
• W.S. 9-2-1031(a) defines criteria to be considered
• This includes proposal criteria, approach, personnel, firm
location, location of key personnel, past performance,
current work loads, volume of work previously awarded
• WWDC has developed instructional guidelines for
reviewers
• Equitable distribution of work between consultants
must be considered
• Process in place for 2016 selection process
Full Evaluation Study of the WWDC
• Recommendation 4.7 – Agency/ Commission Duties
and Responsibilities
• Title 41 statutes define WWDC responsibilities
• W.S. 9-2-2014 defines the Agency’s responsibilities
• Report questioned governance
• Report recommended internal policies to clarify
specific duties and responsibilities of the
Commission, Commissioners and Office
• Draft duties and responsibilities – May 2016
Wyoming Water Development Revenues
• Approximately 2/3 of the States Revenue is derived
from extractive industries
• Revenues are projected to fall 10% in BY 2017-18
• Impact on the Wyoming Water Development
Program?
• Currently receives a percentage of the Severance
Tax Distribution Account (capped at $155 million)
• WDA I (12.45%) = $19.3 million per year
• WDA II (2.10 %) = $3.3 million per year
• WDA III (0.5%) = $0.8 million per year
Wyoming Water Development Revenues
• Funding formulas provide funding to the Severance
Tax Distribution Account ahead of other
government functions
• Anticipated funding available for the 2017 projects
• WDA I = $35 million
• WDA II = $5.5 million
• WDA III = $155 million
• Agency is now receiving more applications for
funding than in the past
Governor’s Water Strategy
Fontenelle Reservoir
• Pursue Fontenelle Reservoir riprap project
• Increase active storage from 260KAF to 345KAF
• Wyoming currently has a contracts for 120,000
AF
• Wyoming’s interest in the project? To
supplement system water (Drought mitigation)
• Now proceeding with a feasibility study
FONTENELLE RESERVOIR ALLOCATIONS
Dam Crest
Elev. 6519.0
Spillway Crest
Elev. 6506
Active Capacity = 264,000 Acre-Feet
Riprap
Bottom of Riprap Elev.
6460
Inactive Capacity = 80,796 Acre-Feet
Top of Dead Pool elev. 6408
Dead Pool Capacity = 563 AcreFeet
Governor’s Water Strategy
Glendo Reservoir
• Purpose: To better utilize flood pool waters
• Hydrology: 1 in 8 year occurrence
• 2015 - 64,000 AF stored in the flood pool
• Wyoming requested that 39,000 AF be retained in the
flood pool until downstream irrigation demands came
back on
• Corps of Engineer’s response?
• Now proceeding with a feasibility study
• Demonstrate reduced flooding risks after July 1st
• Mitigate State Park facilities built in the flood pool
Thank You