The Cody Conservation District and the Powell Clarks Fork Conservation District announce the initiation of the Clarks Fork Upper Shoshone River Watershed Study, which will include two scoping meetings for anyone to attend. 

Trihydro Corp., based in Laramie, Wyoming, has been selected to complete the project, which is fully funded by the Wyoming Water Development Commission and planned for completion by November 2023.

The project study area consists of the Shoshone River from its headwaters in Yellowstone National Park, extending downstream to the vicinity of Powell. In addition, the portion of the Clarks Fork drainage that lies within Wyoming is included.

The purpose of the study is to generate a comprehensive planning document to the conservation districts that addresses the study area’s resources and provides planning guidance for water-related issues.

The project’s specific objectives and activities include completing a comprehensive evaluation and description of the study area, which will include quantifying surface water resources, riparian/upland conditions, and stream channel conditions. Another objective is meeting with interested stakeholders to discuss their water-related issues and conduct on-site visits to discuss potential solutions. Conceptual project designs and cost estimates will be prepared for those participants and applications for funding assistance will be provided. Site evaluations can consider a wide range of new construction or rehabilitation projects, including irrigation infrastructure (diversions, headgates, etc.), upland water sources (stock reservoirs, pipelines/stock tanks, etc.), wells, solar platforms, and stream channel restoration efforts. There is no cost for stakeholders to participate.

Lastly, the project will develop a Watershed Management Plan that identifies problem areas within the watershed and proposes practical economic solutions. The Watershed Management Plan will include information about permitting requirements and funding opportunities, and it will represent an additional opportunity for Wyoming to provide benefits to the local communities, as well as the state, through the completion of another in their series of watershed studies being completed throughout Wyoming. As a direct result of the Level I watershed investigation process and the completion of the watershed management plans to date, numerous conservation districts and stakeholders have reaped the benefits of this program.

The public is invited to attend project scoping meetings to meet the consultants and learn about the project’s benefits. The first meeting, on June 1, from 6-8 p.m., is at the Park County Library, in Grizzly Hall, at 1500 Heart Mountain St. in Cody. The second meeting is on June 2, from 6-8 p.m., at Northwest College Fagerberg Building, Room 70. 

For further information or questions, please contact: Carmen Horne-McIntyre with the Powell Clarks Fork Conservation District at pcfcd1@gmail.com, or Brittany Swope with the Cody Conservation District at conservecody@gmail.com.