Bear River Basin Advisory Group Meeting
Meeting Record
Evanston, WY - Uinta County Library
November 7, 2005

Welcome

Facilitator Vicki Beckman, WY Water Development Office, 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. A list of attendees can be found at the end of these minutes. The next meeting is scheduled for March 27, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. in Cokeville.

Water Development Commission Report

Ms. Beckman went over with the group the schedule for the next six Basin Advisory Group (BAG) meetings. Over the course of the next few weeks, the Water Planning Team will be conducting BAG meetings in Kemmerer for the Green River BAG, Jackson for the Snake/Salt River BAG, Cody for the Wind/Bighorn BAG, Dayton for the Powder/Tongue BAG, Sundance for the Northeast BAG and Torrington for the Platte River BAG. Please visit the water planning website for agendas, meeting locations and meeting records.

Coalbed Methane in Southwest Wyoming

Bj Kristiansen, who is the coordinator for the Coalbed Methane Coordination Coalition, gave a powerpoint presentation on what is occurring with coalbed methane (CBM) in southwestern Wyoming. A copy of his powerpoint presentation can be found here.

Mr. Kristiansen stated that the cumulative CBM production in Wyoming is at 1.7 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and the non-Powder River Basin CBM production in Wyoming is at 4 million cubic feet (mcf). The differences in production come in the handling of the water. In southwest Wyoming the water must be totally contained or re-injected. The wells are also deeper, averaging between 1800 to 4000 feet deep. The coals in southwest Wyoming are not continuous coals, but have a greater capacity for gas. Mr. Kristiansen stated that between conventional oil and gas and CBM, the expectancy of southwest Wyoming production is 30 to 50 years. More information on CBM can be found at the Coalition.s website.

State Framework Discussion

Jodie Pavlica, project manager for the Framework Water Plan, gave a powerpoint presentation highlighting where we have been with water planning and what we can look forward to in the Framework Water Plan. A copy of that presentation can be found here.

Ms. Pavlica spoke about how the Basin Advisory Group (BAG) process would be just a bit different during the course of the Framework Water Plan project than what the BAG is accustomed to. One of the things that will be different is that each of the seven basins will choose a BAG representative and an alternate to represent their basin. A handout entitled, .State Framework Water Plan BAG Representative Criteria. was handed out to the group. A copy of that handout can be found here. Ms. Pavlica went through the list of criteria and explained that one of the responsibilities of the representative will be to attend the 5%, 50% and 90% progress review meetings that will be held during the course of this project. The representative will be responsible for delivering information between their BAG and the Framework consultants.

The meeting attendees were then asked to choose two people, a representative and an alternate, to be their spokesperson. After much discussion, the group decided that Bridger Feuz would be their representative and Jerry Sage would be their alternate.

Jodee Pring then facilitated a discussion with the group concerning their specific basin issues. A spreadsheet was handed out and also projected on the screen for ease of discussion. Information on the spreadsheet was taken from the list of issues that the BAG developed when their basin plan was being written. The purpose of the list is to give the consultants an idea of the concerns and challenges each of the basins are facing. The BAG was asked to review the list and make any changes, additions, deletions, etc. to it. Ms. Pring explained that the spreadsheet is dynamic and will be discussed at all meetings during the course of the Framework Water plan project. Therefore, BAG members can take the list, review it, and tailor it how they see fit.

Understanding that each of the issues on the spreadsheet are important, Ms. Pring then explained to the group that she would like them to discuss and develop a list of their top five most pressing issues. The representative and/or the alternate will then take this list and present it at the 5% Framework Water Plan project meeting to be held sometime in early March. The goal of developing a list of the top 5 most pressing issues is that it will help each of the basins understand the challenges of the other basins and facilitate a discussion among the group and the consultants on what issues Wyoming as a whole is facing.

After much discussion, the attendees developed their top five list. A copy of the entire spreadsheet can be found here.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

List of Attendees