Annual Meeting

Registration & Vendor Setup

Badge & Conference Material Pickup + Vendor Table Setup

Ramkota Hotel - 800 N Poplar

Welcome Reception

Connect with colleagues and meet new faces as the event begins.

Gruner Brothers Brewing - 1301 Wilkins Cir

7:00-8:00 AM

Breakfast on your own

Breakfast included in your stay at the Ramkota

Ramkota Hotel - 800 N Poplar

8:00-8:30 AM

Conference Opens

 Welcome from Casper Mayor Pacheco         and  WWA President Jerry Dart

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Room 1 Sessions

8:30-9:00 AM

NEPA Updates

This session will review recent updates to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and discuss their implications for projects in Wyoming. Attendees will gain insight into how these changes may affect permitting, compliance, and project timelines.

John Mion - HDR

9:00-9:30 AM

Improving Irrigation Efficiency with Pivots and Nighttime Scheduling

Pivot sprinklers are more efficient than flood irrigation but can lose effectiveness due to system deficiencies. This work evaluates pivot performance, identifies upgrades to improve efficiency and yield, and explores using OpenET to detect issues before field assessments.

Dillon Cotterman, Josh Stewart -Strike Consulting Group

9:30-10:00 AM

The Case for Municipal Water Conservation

Fundamentals of municipal water conservation, with practical strategies for reducing water waste at both residential and commercial properties within city limits

Noah Dayton - Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities

10:00-10:30 AM

Wyoming StreamStats

Over the past year, the USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center has expanded Wyoming’s streamgage network and updated the StreamStats web tool with new streamflow and watershed statistics. This presentation will highlight these new features and the role of StreamStats in water planning, engineering, and resource management.

Nicholas Taylor, Eric Blajszczak -
U.S. Geological Survey

10:45-11:15 AM

Spatial heterogeneity in headwater streamflow increases during drought

Understanding and managing headwater streamflow is essential for water security, especially during drought, highlighting the need for expanded monitoring.

Jeff Baldock - U.S. Geological Survey

11:15-11:45 AM

TBA

TBA

Adam Jokerst, WestWater Research

11:45 AM -12:15 PM

TBA

TBA

TBA

Room 2 Sessions

8:30-9:00 AM

TBA

TBA

TBA

9:00-9:30 AM

TBA

TBA

TBA

9:30-10:30 AM

Water policy work in the Upper Snake River

TBA

TBA

10:45-11:45 AM

The History And Future Of Laprele Dam - Emergency Dam Removal And Replacement Dam Design

LaPrele Dam in Converse County was deemed unsafe in 2019, leading to storage restrictions and eventual removal in 2024 after new cracks were discovered. With no current storage, the LaPrele Irrigation District, HDR, and RESPEC are finalizing the design for a roller compacted concrete replacement dam using a CMAR approach. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026.

Cory Foreman - HDR
Pete Rausch - RESPEC

11:45 AM-12:15 PM

Update on WY USDA-NRCS Programs and Technical Assistance

Wyoming NRCS provides technical and financial support for water conservation, habitat restoration, risk mitigation, and community development. This session will give an overview of key programs—EQIP, RCPP, and EWP-PL566—and share updates on staffing, agreements, and funding opportunities available to support water-related projects.

Brian Jensen, Shawn Follum -  Wyoming NRCS

12:15-1:30 PM

Lunch

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Don Day, Jr. - DayWeather, Inc

1:30-2:00 PM

Success in the North Platte River

Natrona County Conservation District’s efforts to reduce agricultural selenium pollution helped remove the North Platte River from Wyoming’s impaired waters list.

Lisa Ogden -  Natrona County Conservation District

2:00-4:30 PM

Tour - Remediation Site (former Casper Refinery)

This tour will provide an overview of ongoing remediation activities at the former Casper Refinery. Attendees will learn about the innovative system used to recover,  treat, and beneficially reuse groundwater, including the oil-water separator and  Three Crowns Golf Course treatment ponds. After treatment, water is returned to the regional water system via discharge to the North Platte River.

Meeting Location: Oil-Water Separator Building, 1709 King Blvd.
Parking: Three Crowns Golf Club, 1601 King Blvd.

5:00-6:00 PM

Social Hour

Cash Bar

Ramkota

6:00-9:00 PM

Dinner

Governor Gordon Remarks,
Scholarship Presentation, and Silent Auction

7:00-8:00 AM

Breakfast on your own

Breakfast included in your stay at the Ramkota

Ramkota Hotel - 800 N Poplar

8:00-9:00 AM

Membership Meeting

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9:00-10:15 AM

Advisor Updates

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10:15-10:30 AM

Break

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10:30-11:00 AM

Congresswoman Harriet Hageman

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Room 1 Sessions

11:00 -11:30 AM

Assessing Pumped Storage Proposals: A Case Study of Seminoe Pumped Storage Project

This panel discussion will examine the proposed Seminoe Pumped Storage Project, a large-scale wind energy storage facility on the North Platte River system. It will cover key project details, regulatory status, and potential impacts on water management, fisheries, wildlife, and local communities.

Leslie Steen - Trout Unlimited

Alan Osterland - Wyoming Game & Fish

Katie Cheesbrough -Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation

Mike Follum - Follum Hydrologic Solutions

11:00 AM-12:30 PM

CO River session

TBA

Joseph Cook - University of Wyoming

Room 2 Sessions

11:00-11:30 AM

Elk Mountain — An Observatory for Advancing Understanding of Snowfall and Snow Hydrology 

Elk Mountain Observatory (EMO), perched at 11,680 feet in SE Wyoming, has a rich research history dating to the 1960s, focusing on winter clouds, snowfall, and cloud seeding. Unique for its high-elevation, often cloud-covered location, EMO is now being revitalized, with new research opportunities that could benefit Wyoming.

Jeff French - University of Wyoming

11:30 AM-12:30 PM

Transit Loss and Gap Analysis in the Green River Basin

Evaluating Water Regulation Impacts on Consumptive Use in the South Piney Creek Basin, Wyoming

The Green River Basin Transit Loss Study (Oct 2024–Dec 2025) quantifies water losses in the Green and New Fork Rivers using hydrologic data, modeling, and advanced geospatial tools. Deliverables include a RiverWare simulation model, monitoring recommendations, and actionable insights for basin water management.

Trihydro and the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office are studying how water availability and regulation affect historical consumptive use in the South Piney Creek basin. Using satellite-based evapotranspiration data from OpenET, the team is developing methods to estimate unregulated ET and creating a tool to help the WSEO analyze past use and potential future administration impacts in the Green River and Upper Colorado River Basin.

Mike Follum - Follum Hydrologic Solutions, LLC

Phil Burkhalter -  Trihydro