Private Well Water Testing Day

The Powder River Conservation District (PRCD) will once again be providing a Well Water Testing Day on Tuesday, September 19^th. Sampling Kits can be picked up prior to September 19^th at the PRCD Office. Water samples will be accepted at the PRCD Office starting at 7:30am until 1pm on September 19th.

Knowing the Quality of your private well water is of utmost importance to your family’s health. It is also important to know and understand if you well water is suitable for livestock or irrigation.  For these reasons this year the PRCD has expanded their Private Well Water Testing Program. To participated, we encourage you to stop by our office to pick up sampling kits and sampling instructions.

For more information please contact the District Office at 738-2321 or stop by and visit with us.

  The Beginning of the End

EWP Update

It has been a long road repairing damages from the record flooding seen in Johnson County in May of 2015, but this summer will see the last of those flood projects completed. On approximately July 5th, Barnum Inc. will break ground on the construction of the last EWP projects located at the Harold Jarrard Park. Through this project the contractor will install toe wood to stabilize the banks and cross vanes to keep the river in the center of the channel causing a natural ripple pool effect desirable to streams. The Middle Fork of Powder River will also find itself moved into the HJP grounds to return it to its original channel. This project will take all summer and into the fall, we expect a completion date of early November. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to stop in and chat with us.

The Powder River CD would like to take a moment to recap the EWP projects that have been completed to date:

· Sussex EWP– This project was completed in the fall of 2015 and
reconstructed the streambank eroded by flood waters. L&L Oilfield
Service worked to repair 514 feet of stream bank by installing 16 log vanes and 4 log sills for improved bank stability. The movement of soil, cobble, and gravel was necessary to construct a 15 foot wide flood prone bench, and a 3:1 transition slope to the upper terrace. The total project cost was $131,102.12 and was split 75/25% with the NRCS ($98,326.59) and the PRCD ($32,775.53).

· Sahara Diversion EWP-This project was completed in the fall of  2016 and repaired erosion occurring around the Sahara Diversion. L&L Oilfield Service placed concrete blocks and rock to stabilize the streambank on both sides of the diversion to keep additional flooding from eroding the banks around the Sahara Diversion which could have eventually led to the breaching of the diversion. The total project cost was $233,309.05 and was split 75/25% with the NRCS ($175,205.55) and the PRCD/Other ($58,103.50).

· Nolan Diversion EWP-This project was completed in the spring of 2017, the removal and replacement of this diversion was done to ensure the safety of the I25 bridge and the Town of Kaycee. Barnum Inc. removed the damage Nolan Diversion and replaced it with a double cross vane diversion structure and stabilized the eroded streambanks caused by flood waters. The total project cost was $360,640.34 and was split 75/25% with the NRCS ($270,697.40) and the PRCD/Other ($89,942.86).

We would like to thank everyone for their patience as we work through these projects. Once again if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to stop by the office or give us a call.

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WY Public Lands Initiative

                      In September 2016, nine members were selected by the Johnson County Commissioners to serve on a county-led WY Public Land Initiative (WPLI) Committee charged with the task of determining a designation and management option for the two Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in Southern Johnson County. Those WSAs include the North Fork of Powder River WSA and Gardner Mountain WSA. The JC Collaborative has been meeting since October and has been gathering background information and current data on the two WSAs in order to make the most informed decision possible. Speakers so far have included resource specialists from the BLM, Tara Kuiper discussing how collaboration works, Angus Macintosh speaking on private rights on public lands, and WY Game and Fish to discuss wildlife in the areas.

On June 19^th the committee had the opportunity to tour the North Fork WSA and has plans to tour the Gardner Mountain WSA in July. During their June meeting collaborative members began to generate options for future management of North Fork WSA. This process will likely take several meetings though a final recommendation will need to be advanced to the JC Board of County Commissioners by the Spring of 2018. 

The WPLI is an open process and we encourage the community to attend the meetings and provide public comment. If you have been unable to attend and would like to know what has been occurring, minutes are taken and posted along with any documentation produced by or circulated among the Committee on the WPLI Information Hub; (https://wcca.wygisc.org/wpli/hub/index.html)

If you have any questions please feel free to contact any of the other collaborative members or myself. (That list can be found in the Information Hub.)