Wyoming State Water Plan, Wyoming Water Development Office
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Bear River Basin


2001 Plan


As authorized by the Wyoming Water Development Commission in its contract scope of work, this planning document presents current and proposed (estimated) future uses of water in Wyoming's Bear River Basin. Uses to be inventoried include agricultural, municipal, industrial, environmental, and recreation. Both surface and ground water uses, as well as overall water quality are described. Given current uses, the availability of surface and ground water to meet future requirements is estimated. To lay the groundwork for future water development, a review of the current institutional and legal framework facing such projects is presented. Finally, thoughts are given to guide implementation of the water planning process.

Materials from the 2001 Bear River Basin Plan can be found below by clicking on the desired chapter or section. The Plan may be viewed in either HTML or in PDF. It is recommended that users download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat (R) Reader to view the PDF files.

Bear River Basin Map

PDF (3,234kb) or HTML Access the 2001 Bear River Basin Final Report here

PDF (532kb) or HTML Access the Bear River Basin Report Executive Summary here

PDF (1,113kb) or HTML Introduction to the 2001 Bear River Basin Water Plan Final Report.

PDF (1,012kb) or HTML The basin water use profile provides an inventory of water use and water development projects. It not only provides the necessary understanding of the location, source, and quantity of basin water use, but also provides an understanding of how water is used.

PDF (815kb) or HTML The basin water quality profile provides an inventory of current water quality issues and trends in the basin. Similar to the existing water use profile, surface and ground water quality was assessed in preparation for subsequent sections in the report.

PDF (1,079kb) or HTML Water supply planning requires consideration of many factors, including hydrology, water quality, physical facilities, and legal and institutional requirements. Surface water spreadsheet models were developed in this section.

PDF (1,380kb) or HTML The starting point for the development of water demand projections requires an understanding of the current economic and demographic conditions in the basin. The identification of historic changes and trends in the basin, plus the evaluation of the most important sectors from an economic and water use standpoint, helped define the emphasis for future economic and demographic scenarios.

PDF (500kb) or HTML Wyoming's Water Planning Process is not intended to provide a directive for the implementation of future water development, but rather to provide the basic information needed to address water issues that arise in the future.




HTML PDF Technical Memoranda
63 kb 324 kb   Cover Page
    Chapter 2
79 kb 111 kb   Tab A - Wyoming Water Law Summary
44 kb 124 kb   Tab B - Amended Bear River Compact
    Chapter 3
895 kb 1,137 kb   Tab C - Surface Water Data Collection & Study Period Selection
Click for Listing   Tab D - Diversion Operating Memoranda
85 kb 992 kb   Tab E - Irrigated Lands Mapping
138 kb 624 kb   Tab F - Water Rights Permits GIS Development
406 kb 268 kb   Tab G - Crop Consumptive Use
26 kb 39 kb   Tab H - Efficiencies and Return Flow Patterns
Click for Listing   Tab I - Storage Summaries
114 kb 437 kb   Tab J - Municipal Water Use - Town of Cokeville
108 kb 671 kb   Tab J - Municipal Water Use - Town of Evanston
6 kb 15 kb   Tab K - Industrial Water Use
343 kb 2,537 kb   Tab L - Environmental Water Use
71 kb 595 kb   Tab M - Recreational Water Use
    Chapter 4
257 kb 669 kb   Tab N - Surface Water Quality
905 kb 5,687 kb   Tab O - Ground Water Resources
    Chapter 5
Click for Listing   Tab P - Spreadsheet Model Development
4 kb 11 kb   Tab P - Use of Bear River Spreadsheet Model
108 kb 341 kb   Tab P - Surface Water Calibration
176 kb 431 kb   Tab P - Available Surface Water Determination
    Chapter 6
287 kb 273 kb   Tab Q - Historic & Current Economic & Demographic Conditions
658 kb 176 kb   Tab Q - Future Economic & Demographic Scenarios
88 kb 99 kb   Tab Q - Future Water Demand Projections
10 kb 22 kb   Tab Q - Future Recreational Demands




The three workbooks (wet, dry and normal years) are yoked together with a simple menu-driven graphical user interface (GUI). In addition, the spreadsheet models are stored as zipped Microsoft Excel files using WinZip compression software. An evaluation version of WinZip may be downloaded at http://www.winzip.com/download.htm

There are two versions of the model which can be selected for each of the three hydrologic conditions. The differences between the versions lie in the manner in which the ungaged reach gains and losses are determined. To determine which of the two versions to select please read the following Model Version Selection Memorandum.

  • Once the model is selected, download the model by clicking on the file name and saving to your local directory. Depending on the browser this may entail only responding to a prompt, or choosing "Save As..." from the browser file menu.
  • Once on the local disk, double click the zipped file to extract the Excel Workbooks.
  • In Microsoft Excel, open the Bear River Model file. From this graphical user interface the wet, normal, or dry year models may be selected.
  • For further information on the use of the models please refer to the tutorial included in the workborks. For additional information, including both a user's guide and engineering documentation of the model, please refer to the Task 3B Surface Water Data Synthesis and Spreadsheet Model Development Technical Memorandum.

Bear River Basin Spreadsheet Models
Bear River Basin Model   2,407 kb compressed
10,820 kb uncompressed
Bear River Basin Model - Archived   2,193 kb compressed
  10,650 kb uncompressed

* Please note that these files are in read only format. Any changes to the model made by the user may change the results and must be saved with a new file name.

** For Windows XP users - Due to additional security levels, XP users may have to manually change their security levels. If you receive a message when opening Microsoft Excel that reads as follows: "Macros in this workbook are disabled because the security level is high..." click OK and perform the following routine: Under the Tools menu, click on Macro then Security. Change the Security Level to Medium, this will enable the user to go to the Spreadsheet Model Main Menu.



Access GIS data for the Bear River Basin