Wyoming water surplus is expected as farms decrease

JACKSON, Wyo. — The amount of water available in the Snake River drainage will increase if agriculture continues to decline in the area over the next 30 years, according to a recent study.

The study was done by Denver-based BBC Research & Consulting for the Wyoming Water Development Commission and a citizens' advisory group, which are developing a $530,000 water plan for the Snake basin, which supplies water to southern Idaho.

Ryan Erickson, an engineer with Sunrise Engineering, summarized BBC's water-use projections at the Teton County Library.

Drawing from economic and demographic trends, the group has determined that, almost under any scenario, agriculture will decline in the two basins over the next 30 years.

Even the consultant's most robust scenario predicts that agriculture will increase only by a few thousand acres or animals. An exception is horse numbers, which are expected to remain stable or increase as second homes and tourism increase.

Recreation-related jobs and population growth are also expected to increase under all scenarios, shifting overall water use from agriculture to municipal and residential uses, which require far less water.

About 373,000 acre-feet of water is currently put to use. Only under the consultant's maximum-growth scenario would water use increase, to about 401,000 acre-feet per year.

On the other hand, water use could decrease to as little as 273,000 acre-feet per year, according to the study.

Barry Lawrence, a river basin planner for the Water Development Commission, said other states, such as Utah, are already lining up to use Wyoming's water.