Groundwater
The WQD Groundwater Program works to protect and preserve Wyoming’s groundwater by permitting facilities to prevent contamination, and investigating and cleaning up known releases.
The Groundwater Section includes the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program that permits the discharge of wastewater effluent, in-situ uranium processing waste and oilfield waste into subsurface geologic formations. These permits contain limits on the quality of the discharge based on aquifer or groundwater conditions and standards, and establish self-monitoring and reporting requirements for the permittees.
In addition to the UIC program, the Groundwater Section is responsible for developing groundwater classifications for exemption of aquifers impacted by in-situ uranium mining operations, overseeing groundwater investigations, implementing the division’s ambient groundwater monitoring program, administering the division’s groundwater data management system and overseeing the cleanup of legacy groundwater contaminated sites such as at historic spill sites and Department of Defense cleanup of Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), such as the former Atlas Missile Sites in Laramie and Platte counties.
To request a groundwater classification for your project, submit the information to the WDEQ Groundwater section using the GW Classification Request Form.
The Federal Facilities team works with the Federal Government to clean up soil or groundwater contamination at active or decommissioned federal properties, such as the Atlas D Missile Site 4.
The GPC Program evaluates potential impacts to the groundwaters of the State by activities permitted at the local, state, or federal level.
The Know Your Well Program helps private well owners learn more about their drinking water wells and how to protect their water supply. If you have a question regarding private water wells, including permits and construction, please contact the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office at 307-777-6150.
The UIC Program is responsible for regulating and permitting the construction, operation and closure of facilities that dispose of or store non-hazardous materials below ground.
Name/Email | Programs | Office | Phone |
Lily Barkau, P.G., Section Manager | Groundwater | Cheyenne | (307) 777-7072 |
Federal Facilities Program | |||
John Passehl, P.G. | Geology Supervisor, FE Warren, Formerly Used Defense Sites | Cheyenne | (307) 777-5623 |
Groundwater Pollution Control | |||
Wylee Rizzitello, P.G. | GPC Legacy Cleanup, Know Your Well, Ambient | Cheyenne | (307) 777-9355 |
Underground Injection Control Class VI Program | |||
Tyler Harris, P.G. | Geology Supervisor | Cheyenne | (307) 777-8275 |
Hunter Hubbard, P.G. | Senior Project Geologist – Permitting and Compliance | Cheyenne | (307) 777-7189 |
Senior Project Geologist – Permitting and Compliance | Cheyenne | (307) 777-5802 | |
Vacant | Senior Project Geologist – Permitting and Compliance | Cheyenne | -- |
Natural Resources Program Principal – Permitting and Compliance | Cheyenne | (307) 777-7195 | |
Underground Injection Control Class I & V Programs | |||
Vacant | Geology Supervisor | Cheyenne | -- |
Natural Resources Program Principal – Class I & V Permitting | Cheyenne | (307) 777-2960 | |
Natural Resources Program Principal – Class I & V Permitting | Cheyenne | (307) 777-5501 | |
Vacant | Natural Resources Program Principal – Class I & V Permitting | Cheyenne | -- |
Natural Resources Program Principal – Class V Permitting | Cheyenne | (307) 777-6080 | |
Inspection & Compliance Program | |||
Whitney Lang, P.G. | Geology Supervisor | Casper | (307) 473-3478 |
Natural Resources Analyst | Cheyenne | (307) 777-7092 | |
Natural Resources Program Principal | Lander | (307) 335-6958 | |
Vacant | Natural Resources Analyst | TBD | -- |
Groundwater Pollution Control (GPC) Forms
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Underground Injection Control (UIC) Forms
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This page contains a variety of downloadable documents and information pertaining to Groundwater guidance procedures.
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This page contains a variety of links to supplementary Groundwater information and resources, from reports to data and information systems.
This page contains information, including fact sheets and maps, about Groundwater monitoring programs in Wyoming.
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Aquifer Prioritization Project
This project developed a method to prioritize aquifers for groundwater monitoring based on their geology and potential contaminant sources.
Groundwater Vulnerability Mapping Project
GIS coverage maps and reports are available for each county. Please run the Autorun.exe in each county's zip file to access all data except the maps. To access map data, please download the shapefiles separately and import them into ArcMap.
Ambient Groundwater Monitoring Program
- Wyoming Groundwater Quality Monitoring Sites (USGS website)
Pesticide Monitoring Program
Wyoming's Pesticide Monitoring Program is a cooperative monitoring effort between the Wyoming Dept. of Agriculture and the US Geologic Survey (USGS). Since 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, has been sampling groundwater in Wyoming. Sampling of surface water for pesticides began in 2006.
Groundwater and surface water data, maps, and reports, including fact sheets are available for each county.