DEQ Celebrates SepticSmart Week

By Kimberly Mazza Statewide, Wyo. – The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) – Water Quality Division (WQD) is celebrating Sept. 18 to Sept. 22, 2023 as SepticSmart Week. DEQ is celebrating the week-long annual campaign to educate homeowners and renters on how to properly maintain their septic systems.    “The Water Quality Division wants […]

The Department of Environmental Quality Announces First Annual Wyoming Water Quality Conference  

As the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) celebrates its 50th Anniversary, the DEQ Water Quality Division (WQD) invites the public and our partners to attend the first annual Wyoming Water Quality Conference at the University of Wyoming Conference Center in Laramie, Wyoming, October 17 – 18, 2023. Participants will learn how the WQD fulfills its […]

THE DEQ CONTINUES TO MONITOR HCBs

By Kimberly Mazza The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) continues to investigate, monitor, and report on harmful cyanobacterial booms (HCBs) in Wyoming waters. Though HCBs have been present in waterways throughout the country for many years, Wyoming has been proactive to understand where and why HCBs are occurring. Wyoming’s HCB program, outlined in an […]

WYPDES Compliance/Enforcement  named DEQ Team of the Year

Pictured from left: WQD Administrator Jennifer Zygmunt, Brad Kniss, Katherine McCrea, Kevin Campbell, and DEQ Director Todd Parfitt. By Kimberly Mazza CHEYENNE – The Water Quality Division Wyoming Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WYPDES) Compliance and Enforcement Team was named the 2022 Team of the Year on June 5, 2023, for the Wyoming Department of Environmental […]

DEQ Works with Partners to Address Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms

HCBs at Alcova Reservoir By Kimberly Mazza CHEYENNE, Wyo – Since 2017, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has worked with cooperators to improve our understanding of harmful cyanobacterial blooms in Wyoming waterbodies for the wellbeing of the public. Harmful cyanobacterial blooms, also known as HCBs, blooms, or blue-green algae are dense accumulations of cyanobacteria […]

Notice to Avoid and Report Possible Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms in Wyoming Waters

CHEYENNE, Wyo – With summer nearly upon us and more people heading to Wyoming’s lakes and reservoirs to recreate, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), Wyoming Livestock Board (WLB), and local, state, and federal partners want to remind the public to avoid and keep animals away from harmful cyanobacterial […]

Lily Barkau Selected for CEQ’s Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration Task Force

By Kimberly Mazza CHEYENNE – Lily Barkau, Natural Resources Program Manager at the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, was recently tapped by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)  to serve on one of two new task forces that will provide input to inform the responsible development of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration (CCUS).  […]

March 13th is Know Your Well Day

By Kimberly Mazza In recognition of the importance of groundwater to the citizens of the state and in conjunction with the National Groundwater Association “Groundwater Awareness Week”, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Water Quality Division (WQD) has designated March 13th as “Know Your Well Day.” Over 72 percent of Wyoming’s population relies on groundwater […]

WDEQ celebrates Wyoming Professional Water and Wastewater Operator Week

CHEYENNE – Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon proclaimed this week, Feb. 6-13, as the Wyoming Professional Water and Wastewater Operator Appreciation Week. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) is joining him in honoring these essential professionals. Water treatment, water distribution, wastewater collection and wastewater treatment operators are professionals who are vital to Wyoming. They protect public […]

Risks Associated with Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms (HCBs) Continue Despite Cooler Temperatures

CHEYENNE, Wyo – Although fewer people are recreating in Wyoming’s lakes and reservoirs this fall as water and air temperatures decrease, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ), Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), Wyoming Livestock Board (WLB), Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming State Parks, and United States Forest Service want […]