News and Information
 Newsletter
 Water Planning Process History
 Historical Planning Documents
 Wyoming Water Facts

River Basin Plans
 Statewide Products
 Bear River Basin
 Green River Basin
 NE River Basin
 Platte River Basin
 Powder/Tongue River Basin
 Snake/Salt River Basin
 Wind/Bighorn River Basin
 Groundwater Reports

Basin Advisory Groups
 Mission and Purpose
 Calendar
 Agendas
 Meeting Records
 Reference Material

Planning Products
 GIS Web Mapping
 Framework Water Plan
 Platte Water Atlas
 Water Search Engine
 Send Us Your Comments

Partners
 State Engineer's Office
 Water Resources Data System

Contact Us

Water Plan Home Page

Water Development Office

Bear River Basin Advisory Group
Meeting Record
Evanston, WY
April 4, 2005

Welcome
Facilitator Sherri Gregory welcomed the group and the meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. All attendees introduced themselves, followed by a review of the overall meeting agenda. A sign-in sheet was passed around to record attendance. The next meeting is scheduled for July 11, 2005 in Cokeville.

Planning Team Issues
Barry Lawrence passed out the meeting record from the last meeting. Lawrence discussed the status of the current planning processes in the other basins (WB, PT, NE, PL, GR, & SS). He went on to discuss the past legislative session, plans for the state framework project, and the retirement of John Jackson at the WWDC. He then passed out handouts from the last meeting [Bear Lake Settlement Agreement Handout - Claudia Cottle, Bear Lake Watch - Tab G - Bear River Compact; 2004 Water Year Recap Handout - Jade Henderson, SEO - Tab G - Bear River Compact; Smiths Fork Watershed Conservation Powerpoint Slides - DeMont Grandy, NRCS - Tab D - Water Resources Planning Coordination]. There is nothing additional to disseminate at this time.

Wyoming Drought Update
Jan Curtis, WRDS gave a powerpoint presentation outlining the State's current drought conditions. Jan also focused in on conditions within the basin and presented long range forecasts. Jan stated that he believed the drought was "ebbing". As is typical of Jan's presentations, his presentation represented current conditions and forecasts on the date of the BAG meeting, and, by its very nature is outdated quickly. It was decided that there would be little utility in making handouts from the presentation or putting them up online. Therefore, there is nothing additional to distribute at this time.

Hydrologic Outlook for the Bear River Basin
Brian McInerney, with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City gave a powerpoint show detailing current conditions in the basin with an emphasis on snowmelt runoff volumes. He discussed the flood potential in three areas in Utah, long range forecasts, and current soil moisture readings as well. A brief discussion followed Brian's remarks. Brian's presentation also represented current conditions and forecasts on the date of the BAG meeting, and, by its very nature is outdated quickly. It was decided that there would be little utility in making handouts from the presentation or putting them up online. Therefore, there is nothing additional to distribute at this time from Brian's presentation.

Watershed Planning Effort
Kerri Sabey, Uinta County Conservation District, discussed the current watershed planning effort. Kerri stressed that this effort was being done locally, as opposed to federal intervention. Kerri stated that that a draft copy of the watershed plan would be ready mid-May, with a 45 day review period. There were no handouts. As Kerri's comments were purely "off-the-cuff" remarks, there is nothing additional to disseminate at this time.

Flood Control Above Bear Lake
Eulalie Teichert Langford made off-the-cuff remarks concerning the need for storage in the basin and the current effort to get the three states involved. She discussed possible congressional involvement, a $1 million dollar proposed study, and the possibility of using past studies as matching funds. Eulalie had one handout which she disseminated to the group which detailed House Joint Memorial No. 1 in the Idaho Legislature. A brief Q&A followed Eulalie's presentation. Since this document has already been distributed, a very limited number will be available the day of the meeting. It is placed behind TAB M (Water Law). To access an online version: http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/HJM001.html

Smiths Fork Storage
John Teichert made off-the-cuff remarks with regards to flood control and passed around pictures of the 1983 flood. He explained the history of the project, and discussed a recent trip to Washington D.C. John indicated that the Army Corps could possibly do a flood study on the entire Bear River system. A considerable amount of discussion followed John's remarks. John had one handout which was a letter from the Cokeville Development Company to the Town of Bear River asking for their support by not competing for Central Bear River storage allocation water.

SEO Update on Bear River Issues
Sue Lowry, SEO made off-the-cuff remarks regarding numerous Bear River issues, including updating the group on the activities of the Bear River Commission and Bear Lake Preservation Committee. She discussed pending legislation, local operations, and competing interests within the basin. She went on to discuss the State's long term goal of maximizing storage while delivering to as many towns as possible. She stressed the need to weigh the issues in the basin, including the contemporary needs. Sue stated that a formal SEO response to the inquiries posed would be be forthcoming. There were no handouts, and there is nothing additional to distribute at this time.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.


   Citizen    Government    Business    Visitor   Privacy Policy