Proposed land exchange for West Fork Reservoir

The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) hosted a public meeting On January 12 at the Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga to share information, answer questions and receive public comment on the proposed West Fork Battle Creek Reservoir which includes a land exchange proposal between the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the State of Wyoming.

In November 2022, the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI) submitted a proposal to the Forest Service for a land exchange.

The Forest Service has been conducting feasibility studies since 2010 when they started a series of studies to address the shortages of irrigation water.

The proposal is to exchange about 1,762 acres of USFS managed lands for approximately 4,400 acres managed by the State of Wyoming. This is part of a larger National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) led project that could include a new reservoir, partly on lands currently managed by USFS.

The Federal parcel in the Sierra Madre range is near WY State Highway 70 and West Fork Battle Creek about 19 miles west of Encampment and 28 miles east of Baggs. State parcels are scattered across the Sierra Madres.

A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the West Fork Battle Creek Watershed plan was filed under Docket No. NRCS-2022-0012. This notice is in coordination with the USDA Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

The proposed Watershed Plan includes construction of a dam and reservoir on the west fork of Battle Creek to provide for rural agricultural water management.

NRCS is requesting comments to identify significant issues, potential alternatives, information and analyses relevant to the Proposed Action from all interested individuals.

The primary goal of the proposed dam and reservoir is to provide a late season supplemental water supply to serve approximately 19,000 acres of irrigated lands in the Little Snake River Basin in Wyoming and Colorado. Currently the Little Snake River Basin experiences shortages of approximately 12,000 Acre-Foot (AF) of water.

The proposed Watershed Project would reduce the late season irrigation water shortages in dry years. This may also mitigate future drought impacts to agriculture and natural resources. The proposed reservoir would also benefit fisheries, riparian and wetland wildlife habitats, and recreation. In addition, the project could supplement stream flows ruing low flow periods and improve irrigation-induced wetlands.

Economic impacts may be felt by reducing late season irrigation water shortages resulting in increased pasture and hay production. There may also be economic benefits to the region for hunting, fishing and recreation.

Three agencies are proposing actions in support of the Watershed Plan and dam and reservoir construction.

The NRCS purpose is to provide for rural agricultural water management.

The Forest Service purpose is to use land exchanges as a tool to implement National Forest System land and resource management, planning and direction to optimize NFS land ownership, as well as meet the present and future needs of the American people. The General Exchange Act of 1922 (16 U.S.C. 485 and 486) authorizes the exchange of land or timber that was reserved from the public domain for NFS purposes.

If the reservoir is constructed as proposed, the land exchange will be needed to eliminate the need for a special use permit for the reservoir and provide more effective, efficient management of the reservoir and lands surrounding the reservoir.

The purpose of participation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in response to a standard individual permit application under the authority of The Clean Water Act to store approximately 10,000 AF for the purposed of providing late season irrigation water to the Little Snake River Basin, above its confluence with Sand Creek.

According to the project documents the Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDO) and the NRCS has proposed to construct a 264 foot high roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam to store 10,000 AF of water with a surface area of 130 acres. The reservoir pool would contain three storage areas: 6,500 AF of irrigation storage, 1,500 AF of storage to maintain a minimum bypass flow, and a 2,000 AF conservation pool.

The construction of the reservoir would be on the west fork of Battle Creek just below the confluence of Haggerty Creek and Lost Creek approximately 20 miles east-northeast of Savery, Wyoming. The project would be on private and public lands in the Sierra Madre Mountains within the Brush Creek-Hayden Ranger District. The land exchange would include selected parcels on the NFS lands with presumed equivalent State lands. Approximately 2,024 acres of state land located in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests have been proposed for the land exchange.

In summary, the expected impacts on the environment would include changes to hydrology, changes to water quality within the reservoir and downstream from the elevated copper levels in Haggerty Creek. Other impacts may include climate change affecting agriculture, impacts to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife habitats, fisheries and downstream threatened and endangered Colorado River fish species. There may also be impacts to cultural and Tribal resources. Economic outcomes associated with agricultural, recreational, tourism, and wildlife related activities could be affected as well.

To submit comments you may write to Andi Neugebauer, Wyoming State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 100 E. B Street #3, Casper, WY 82601. Comments will be received until February 13, 2023.

You may also submit comments online at http://www.regulations.gov and search for docket ID NRCS-2022-0012. Follow instructions for submitting comments. Note that before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, your comment, including personal information will be posted without change and made publicly available on http://www.regulations.gov.