WSP13027

• File Number: 8200.767
• Description: Little Snake River Management Project
• State: CO
• Author: CWCB
• Title: Little Snake River Water Management Project - Background ‎(part of a larger, undated document)‎
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Project Overview

Cheyenne Stage I
Cheyenne Stage II
LSRWMP Stage III

= 7170 AF*
= 20495 AF*
= 34590 AF

Snake River Water Management project (LSRWMP). This Act also
authorized Stage II of the Cheyenne Water Project and "Stage III"
of the LSRWMP. "Stage III" is a transbasin diversion from the
headwaters of the Little Snake River to the North Platte River
basin and is also defined as a proposal to construct storage
structures which will increase storage for in-basin use on the
Little Snake River. Enrolled Act No. 58 created the Wyoming
Water Development Commission which has the dual role of planning
on a statewide basis and planning for the development of
individual projects.

The 1980 session of the Wyoming Legislature through Enrolled
Act No. 43 appropriated monies and directed the Commission to
prepare a feasibility study and preliminary engineering plans for
Stage III of the LSRWMP. The Commission was also directed to
study the requirements for a reservoir or reservoirs to meet
in-basin needs for the Little Snake River basin.

Stage III of the LSRWMP will involve a collection canal
which will divert water from several streams which are headwaters
for the Little Snake River in Medicine Bow National Forest. The
location of the canal, tunnel and reservoir associated with Stage
III are shown on Map 3. The City of Cheyenne has a water right
on these streams for 602 cubic feet per second with a March 12,
1954 priority and are currently in good standing with the Wyoming
State Engineer. Stage III is expected to deplete the Little
Snake River by 34,590 AF per year.

The Commission determined that the in-basin industrial needs
of the LSRWMP should include 55,000 AF of water for two potential
power plants. The in-basin municipal and domestic needs were
estimated at 800 AF and were primarily attributed to the
communities of Baggs, Dixon and Savery. The supplemental
irrigation need for in-basin use is estimated at 17,080 AF and
would be utilized on 8,190 acres.

The depletion to the Little Snake River from the
out-of-basin needs and diversions would be as follows:

*The Forest Service requires that Stages I and II be
limited to 26,917 AF annually.

The total annual depletion would be 61,507 AF for the three
stages.

The in-basin need of 72,890 AF is expected to be met by the
construction of one or more reservoirs. There are four
reservoirs being analyzed for this project. The four are Upper
Savery and Sandstone Reservoirs on Savery Creek, and Pot Hook

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