One of the purposes of the Platte River Basin Plan is to identify potential aquifers and well sites in the basin that may be suitable for future development. An important criterion for identifying prospective basin groundwater supplies is whether new groundwater supply wells are hydrologically connected with the North Platte River or tributary surface waters. Determination by the North Platte Decree Committee of areas where wells are and are not considered to be hydrologically connected with the North Platte River or its tributaries was ongoing at the time this basin plan was prepared.
The first objective of this investigation was to inventory and document existing published groundwater data, studies, and planning documents for the planning area. A second objective of this investigation was to inventory and catalog the Wyoming State EngineerÆs Office groundwater permit database for various categories of groundwater use in the planning area. This data was then incorporated into the GIS data layer for each subbasin. A third objective of this investigation has been to characterize the origin and current status of ongoing water right interference claims and the development status of the three basin groundwater control areas, including the Prairie Center Control Area, the Laramie County Control Area, and the Platte County Control Area.
Other objectives of this study included:
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Characterizing the aquifers of the planning area with regard to location, storage, and yield based on existing information;
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Summarizing the potential for additional groundwater development and aquifer storage, and any potential impacts to the groundwater and surface water systems in the planning area; and
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ò Characterizing coalbed natural gas (methane) development and its short and long-term effects on groundwater and surface water supplies within subbasins of the planning area.
The South Platte River subbasin covers an area of approximately 2,000 square miles in southeastern Wyoming. Lodgepole, Crow, and Dale Creeks, which are tributary to the South Platte River, constitute the principal streams within the subbasin. Geologic formations vary in thickness and range from Precambrian crystalline bedrock to alluvial deposits. The geologic structures are primarily portions of the Laramie Mountains uplift and Denver-Julesburg basin
