The bill authorizes the construction and funding of various water development projects across Wyoming, establishing new legal provisions under W.S. 99-3-3101 through 99-3-3104. It details specific projects, including water transmission pipelines for the Town of Alpine, a snowpack augmentation program in the Wind River and Sierra Madre mountain ranges, and municipal water supply projects in Gillette, LaGrange, and Cowley. Each project is allocated a budget, with state grants and appropriations sourced from water development accounts, while requiring sponsors to secure additional funding. The bill also outlines terms for funding, including grants and loans, and mandates that unexpended funds revert to the respective accounts by July 1, 2031.

Additionally, the legislation focuses on small water development projects, establishing a total budget of one million dollars for such initiatives, with state grants capped at five hundred thousand dollars or fifty percent of actual costs. It amends existing laws to adjust reversion dates for unexpended funds from various accounts, changing them from 2026 to 2028 or 2027. The bill authorizes a transfer of sixteen million dollars from water development account I to account II and mandates a study to evaluate the small water project program. An appropriation of one hundred fifty-five thousand dollars is also included for a study on forest management treatments and their impact on water yield, with a report due by November 1, 2030.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 99-3-1503, 99-3-2003, 99-3-2103, 99-3-2203, 99-3-2205, 99-3-2303, 99-3-2406, 99-3-2604, 99-3-3003
Engrossed: 99-3-1503, 99-3-2003, 99-3-2103, 99-3-2203, 99-3-2205, 99-3-2303, 99-3-2406, 99-3-2604, 99-3-3003