State Agencies Supporting Water System Partnerships

Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality

Wyoming Public Service Commission

Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC)

U.S. EPA Region 8

State Policies and Programs Regarding Water System Partnerships

USING STATE FUNDS TO PROMOTE REGIONALIZATION

The WWDC funds regional water system projects and prioritizes projects that will provide service to regional areas or connect multiple existing water systems. The WWDC Operating Criteria state that “Priority will be given to those projects that may practically serve more than one entity or purpose and whose service area encompasses a larger, more regional area." The WWDC utilizes income generated from non-renewable resource development to fund the sustainable development of water resources. Some of the regional water systems that the commission has funded are the Gillette Regional Pipeline Project, connecting the City of Gillette and Campbell County; the Bighorn Regional Water Supply System, supplying water to multiple entities; and the Shoshone Municipal Water Supply District, among others.

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENTS FOR NEW SYSTEMS

Wyoming’s Water and Wastewater Program promotes and develops partnerships among multiple drinking water systems to create regional systems. The Water and Wastewater Program requires all new or modified systems to submit a Capacity Assessment which includes the following question in the Financial portion of the assessment: “Does your long-term planning incorporate analysis of alternative strategies that might offer cost saving to customers, such as consolidation with other nearby systems or sharing of operations and management expenses with other nearby systems?” 

STATE ORDERED COORDINATION BETWEEN SYSTEMS

Section 4 of the Wyoming Public Service Commission Rules (PWSCR) requires that utilities such as water systems that interfere or may interfere with one another coordinate and take steps to eliminate the interference. (Interference is not defined in the PWSCR.) If the interference is caused by a new system, the owner of the new system must pay for the correction and mitigation of any interference (Wyoming Chapter II General Regulations §4(f)).

Helpful Links to State Resources

• Wyoming Drinking Water Program: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/region8-waterops/about-us#wyodwp
• Wyoming Water Development Commission: http://wwdc.state.wy.us/agency_info/agency_info.html
• Operator Certification: http://deq.wyoming.gov/wqd/operator-certification/
• Capacity Development: http://deq.wyoming.gov/wqd/state-revolving-loan-fund/resources/5-capacity-development/ 
• Wyoming Public Service Commission Rules: http://psc.state.wy.us/pscdocs/rules.html