JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Severe drought continues to grip most of the state and has everyone at the capitol talking water. How Wyoming can protect and conserve its share of the Green and Little Snake River basins will be paramount in the coming years as downstream, the Colorado River is running dry trying to supply the water needs of a growing population in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and southern California.
Governor Mark Gordon’s Colorado River Working Group will hold its first meeting from 9am to noon on Sept. 7 in Rock Springs. The group will discuss important Colorado River matters and monitor potential impacts to Wyoming. The kickoff meeting will be open to the public and led by the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office.
The formation of the Working Group comes in response to continuing drought conditions in the Colorado, Green and Little Snake River basins, raising concerns about the management of the Colorado River. The governor’s charge to the working group is to discuss and share Colorado River information with interested stakeholders in the Green and Little Snake River basins. It is a continuation of a coordinated and proactive outreach effort that has been underway in Wyoming since 2019.
This group is made up of representatives of key water use sectors in the Green and Little Snake River Basins. Working Group members are:
Municipal interests
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- Ben Bracken – Green River/Rock Springs/Sweetwater Joint Powers Board (retired)
- Brad Brooks – Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities
Agriculture interests
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- Chad Espenscheid
Legislative interests
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- Senator Larry Hicks – Senate District 11
- Representative Albert Sommers – House District 20
Environmental interests
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- Jen Lamb – The Nature Conservancy
Industrial interests
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- Aaron Reichel – Genesis-Alkali
- Ron Wild – PacifiCorp
The September 7 meeting will be held at Western Wyoming Community College in Business Office Room #3650 A&B in Rock Springs.
