Wyoming Water Forum

September 8, 2026: The Wyoming State Engineer’s Office will give an update on the Voluntary Water Conservation Program followed by an opportunity for questions and comments. 

October 13, 2026: 

November 10, 2026: 

December 8, 2026:

January 12, 2027: 

February 9, 2027:   

March 9, 2027:  Ye Zhang, University of Wyoming: Elucidating Mountain Front Aquifer Recharge Using Machine Learning, Hydrogeochemistry, and Electrical Resistivity Surveys 

Ye Zhang is a professor of hydrogeology at the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wyoming. Trained as a groundwater modeler, her current research explores the joint analysis of hydrological measurements with remote-sensing, hydrochemical, isotopic, and geophysical data to help understand subsurface unsaturated and saturated flow and transport processes to improve groundwater prediction. 

Communities in the semi-arid American West frequently depend on aquifers that are refilled mainly by snow and rain in nearby mountains. At a site in southeast Wyoming with low water use, we monitored an aquifer system in the Denver Basin and mountain streams that drain into the Basin every hour for ten years (2016-present) to learn how the aquifer refills and whether we can predict its levels. Water levels in the aquifer system fell over the decade. Strikingly, even in a year with normal total precipitation the water level decline continued—showing that mountain snow, not rainfall alone, does most of the refilling. When mountain snow is scarce, the aquifer loses more than it gains. Along one stream, repeated electrical imaging revealed that water seeps in through cracks and sinkholes beneath the stream, rather than evenly across the land surface. Using this understanding, computer models are being developed to forecast groundwater levels up to two weeks ahead. As snow droughts intensify with climate change, these findings offer a potentially transferable way to anticipate and manage groundwater. 

April 13, 2027: Eli Boardman, Mountain Hydrology: Snow Water Supply Forecasting in the Wyoming Range and Green River Basin

Mountain Hydrology LLC will share the current operations, seasonal forecast outlook, and future plans for snow water supply forecasting in partnership with SEO under the Bureau of Reclamation Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program (pending application).

May 11, 2027: Lindsay Patterson, PFAS in Wyoming: What We Do and Do Not Know 

Lindsay is the Emerging Contaminants Coordinator for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Quality Division, where she leads efforts to address unstudied or emerging contaminants—such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—that pose potential risks to public health and the environment. Lindsay has been with the Water Quality Division for over 15 years, holds a Master’s Degree in Ecology from Colorado State University, a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Biology from Colgate University, and completed the Professional Residency in Environmental Education at the Teton Science Schools. 

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called "forever chemicals," present one of today’s most complex environmental challenges. Used in hundreds of products for decades—and still widely used where alternatives do not yet exist—PFAS are persistent in the environment and can be toxic to humans and animals at extremely low concentrations. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) is leading proactive efforts to address PFAS across the state. Key initiatives include monitoring public water systems and private wells, helping Wyoming's fire departments and airports transition away from PFAS-containing firefighting foams, and working with stakeholders to develop and implement a statewide strategy to protect human and animal health, minimize new releases to the environment, and address contaminated sites. WDEQ will provide a high-level overview of what PFAS are, how they end up in the environment, federal actions related to PFAS that impact Wyoming, monitoring results, and other initiatives. 

IrrMapper Presentation

IrrMapper Presentation Recording

Cloud Seeding Presentation Recording

Wyoming Association of Rural Water Presentation

Crow Creek Hydrology Presentation

Crow Creek Hydrology Presentation Recording

USGS: Capturing Irrigated Lands Presentation

USGS: Capturing Irrigated Lands Presentation Recording

Demand Management Demonstration Project Presentation

USGS: Wyoming Stream Stats Presentation Recording

USGS: Suspended Sediment Data Presentation Recording

USGS: 3D National Topography Model