Water & Wastewater

Enforcement Actions

The DEQ undertakes enforcement actions to preserve safe environmental conditions throughout Wyoming. 

This page contains information on the enforcement actions that the Water Quality Division may undertake, as well as a record of enforcement actions that have been undertaken by WQD.

If the download box is not working below, please click here.

Electronic Documents Submittal

Electronic document submittal is available for WQD permit applications, reports, and other communications.
Visit:  WDEQ Water Quality Division Downloads

You do NOT need to follow up the electronic submission with a hard copy submission unless you are specifically contacted by a WQD staff person with a request to do so.

Need to report a spill or complaint? Please visit https://deqspills.wyo.gov/home

Submitting a public comment? WQD is unable to accept public notice comments through this system. Refer to the public notice document for instructions on how to submit comments or visit https://wq.wyomingdeq.commentinput.com/comment/search.

NOTICE: All applications for water distribution systems and/or sewage collection systems that are within the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) district shall be submitted to the BOPU for approval. Contact Frank Strong or Bryce Dorr at (307) 637-6460, ENGreview@cheyennebopu.org, or http://cheyennebopu.org for additional information.

Recent General Permit Authorizations

The DEQ Water Quality Division accepts comments on all permits authorized under a general permit for a period of 30 days, as provided for in W.S. 35-11-801(d).

Interested persons may mail or fax comments to the main Cheyenne office. The ‘Date’ column in the table below indicates the date the authorization was posted to the website. Comments must be received before 5:00 pm on the 30th day after the authorization was posted to the website. For example, comments for an authorization posted on 10/1/18 must be received by 5:00 p.m. on 10/31/18. DEQ does not accept emailed comments.

You may sort the table by posting date or search for the type of general permit, the county where the permit was issued, the permit number, or the name of the person or company to whom the permit was issued.

If you wish to review the general permit documents, please go to the web page for each permitting program:

If the download box is not working below, please click here.

Proposed Rules and Regulations

Water Quality Rules Chapter 12

The Wyoming Environmental Quality Council will consider proposed revisions to the
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Water Quality Rules Chapter 12, Design and Construction Standards for Public Water Supplies, Docket 22-3103, at a hearing to be held on November 15, 2022 in the Capitol Extension Public Meeting Room 5, Herschler Building, 122 W. 25th Street, Cheyenne, WY, 82002, starting at 9:00 a.m. (MST). The revisions include new requirements for public water supplies that propose well acidization, updates to water treatment technologies, and the incorporation by reference of the Recommended Standards for Water Works, 2018 Edition. More information is available at: https://eqc.wyo.gov/Public/Pleadings.aspx?DocketId=4336

Water Quality Rules Chapter 3

The Department of Environmental Quality has revised Water Quality Rules, Chapter 3, Regulations for Permit to Construct, Install or Modify Public Water Supplies,
Wastewater Facilities, Disposal Systems, Biosolids Management Facilities, Treated
Wastewater Reuse Systems and Other Facilities Capable of Causing or Contributing to Pollution.

The Environmental Quality Council adopted the revised rules at a public hearing located at the Capitol Extension Public Meeting Room 5, Herschler Building, 122 W. 25th Street, Cheyenne, Wyoming on June 14, 2022. The final rule was filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State on August 19, 2022.

Electronic copies of the rule are available from the Secretary of State at rules.wyo.gov , under “Current Rules,” “Environmental Quality, Dept of (020),” “Water Quality,” “Chapter 3.”

Water Quality Rules Chapter 29

The Department of Environmental Quality has created a new rule: Water Quality Rules Chapter 29, Geologic Sequestration Special Revenue Account Requirements.

The Environmental Quality Council adopted the new rule at a public hearing located at the Capitol Extension Public Meeting Room 5, Herschler Building, 122 W. 25th Street, Cheyenne, Wyoming on June 14, 2022. The final rule was filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State on August 19, 2022.

Electronic copies of the rule are available from the Secretary of State at rules.wyo.gov, under “Current Rules,” “Environmental Quality, Dept of (020),” “Water Quality,” “Chapter 29.”

Rules and Regulations

All official Wyoming State Rules and Regulations are kept at the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office. Click here to view all current Rules and Regulations.

Water and Wastewater

The Water & Wastewater Program works to ensure safe and adequate supplies of drinking water and the proper disposal of wastewater.

Our expert team can assist you with construction permitting, low interest loans, operator certification, and sourcewater and wellhead protection guidance.

 

History of Water and Wastewater Facility Permitting

Wyoming has regulated the construction of water and wastewater facilities since June 8, 1921. The Department of Health, Sanitary Engineering Service administered water and sewer regulations until it was transferred to the newly formed Department of Environmental Quality in 1973. At this time the Sanitary Engineering Service was renamed to Water and Wastewater Program. Wyoming State Statutes governing the Water and Wastewater Program are found in Title 35, Public Health and Safety, although regulations going back to 1921 are available.

What is a Public Water Supply (PWS)?

A PWS is defined as a system that serves water to 15 service connections or an average of 25 people per day for a period of at least 60 days each year. There are three types of PWSs:

  1. A community water system serves 15 service connections or an average of 25 residents per day all year long.  Examples would be municipalities, water districts, and homeowners associations. This type of PWS is defined in Wyoming Statute at WSS 35-11-103.
     
  2. A non-transient, non-community water system serves 15 service connections or an average of 25 of the same non-resident people per day for at least 6 months a year. Examples would be schools, mines, office buildings or industrial parks. This type of PWS is defined in Wyoming Statute at WSS 35-11-103.
     
  3. A transient, non-community water system serves 15 service connections or an average of 25 different people each day for at least 60 days a year. Examples would be restaurants, campgrounds, lodges, or resorts. This type of PWS is defined in Federal Statute at 40 CFR 141.2.
What is Primacy?

Wyoming is the only State that does not administer the public water system activation, drinking water monitoring, consumer confidence report, sanitary survey, and laboratory certification programs of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA Region 8 Office out of Denver, Colorado implements these programs in the State of Wyoming. EPA Region 8 has primary enforcement authority, or “primacy”, for all Safe Drinking Water Act regulatory programs except the Operator Certification and Capacity Development Programs. Wyoming also implements the Source Water Assessment and Protection, although it is not considered a regulatory program, and is therefore not a “primacy” program.

Assistance with Permitting Activities:
  • Construction of drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities, drinking water distribution and sewage collection facilities
  • Treatment or disposal of produced water from CBM, oil, or gas extraction
  • Small wastewater treatment facilities including septic tanks and leachfields
  • Concentrated animal feeding operations
  • Incinerating or composting toilets
  • Subdivision reviews
Low Cost Loans:

The State Revolving Loan Program provides low cost loans to communities to improve drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure.

Water & Wastewater Treatment Operator Certification:

Certified operators provide safe drinking water, clean up wastewater before releasing it to the environment, and protect the investment made in our water and wastewater infrastructure by operating these facilities correctly. If you are a water or wastewater treatment operator needing certification or compliance with ongoing certification, please visit our Operator Certification Program.

Source Water Protection Program

The Source Water Protection Program encourages public water systems to develop protection plans to preserve the community’s drinking water supplies and alerts permitting programs to the existence of the protection plans.

Contact

Please contact us with any questions you have about the Water and Wastewater Section.  

Water and Wastewater Section Manager:

  • Keenan Hendon
    Tel 307-777-7075, email: keenan.hendon2@wyo.gov

Water and Wastewater Construction Permitting:

  • Bradley Ellis, P.E.- Northeast District Engineer
    Tel 307-473-3469, email: bradley.ellis@wyo.gov
  • Dale Lee, P.E -Assistant Northeast District Engineer
    Tel 307-675-5640, email: dale.lee@wyo.gov
  • James Brough, P.E. – Northwest District Engineer
    Tel 307-335-6961, email: james.brough@wyo.gov
  • Dennis Lewis, P.E. – Southeast District Engineer
    Tel 307-777-7088, email: dennis.lewis@wyo.gov
  • Jason Fernandez, P.E. - Assistant Southeast District Engineer
    Tel 307-777-7388, email: jason.fernandez4@wyo.gov
  • Mark Baron, P.E. – Southwest District Engineer
    Tel 307-335-6962, email: mark.baron@wyo.gov

State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF):

  • Stan Miller, SRF Principal Engineer  
    Tel 307-777-6371, email: stanley.miller@wyo.gov
  • Shawn King, SRF Project Manager  
    Tel 307-777-6941, email: shawn.king2@wyo.gov 

Oil and Gas Produced Water Treatment and Disposal:

  • Dennis Lamb, P.G., Principal
    Tel 307-473-3452, email: dennis.lamb@wyo.gov
  • Hannes Stueckler, P.E.  
    Tel 307-777-6941, email: hannes.stueckler@wyo.gov

Operator Certification:

  • Kim Parker
    Tel 307-777-6128, email: kim.parker@wyo.gov

Enforcement:

Anthony Rivers
Tel 307-777-6183, email: anthony.rivers@wyo.gov

Authorized Permit Archive

Was your project permitted? Looking for the permit? This page contains steps to help you find the Notification of Coverage (NOC) or Permit to Construct issued by the Water & Wastewater Permitting Programs.

Note: Only small wastewater systems permitted in Carbon, Crook, Niobrara, Platte, or Weston Counties (and commercial small wastewater systems in Campbell County) have been permitted by the Water & Wastewater Program. Please contact the permitting authority to locate permits for small wastewater systems in any other county.

Follow these steps to find your permit:

1. Find your permit in the All Authorized Permits 1960 to 2016.xlsx and All Authorized Permits 2000 to 2021.xlsx.

It may take 15 months for your permit to appear in this document and archive. If your NOC was issued within the last 30 days, it will be posted on the Recent General Permit Authorizations page.

2. Make note of the permit or NOC number, which is listed in the “APPNO” column. The first two (2) numbers of the permit number are the year in which the permit was issued, and the last three (3) are the application number.

3. If you cannot locate your permit or NOC, please contact the appropriate District Engineer.

4. Open the file containing your permit or NOC number and scroll through the document until you reach your number.

Recent General Permit Authorizations

The DEQ Water Quality Division accepts comments on all permits authorized under a general permit for a period of 30 days, as provided for in W.S. 35-11-801(d).

Interested persons may mail or fax comments to the main Cheyenne office. The ‘Date’ column in the table below indicates the date the authorization was posted to the website. Comments must be received before 5:00 pm on the 30th day after the authorization was posted to the website. For example, comments for an authorization posted on 10/1/18 must be received by 5:00 p.m. on 10/31/18. DEQ does not accept emailed comments.

You may sort the table by posting date or search for the type of general permit, the county where the permit was issued, the permit number, or the name of the person or company to whom the permit was issued.

If you wish to review the general permit documents, please go to the web page for each permitting program:

If the download box is not working below, please click here.

Seminars & Presentations

This page contains a variety of downloadable seminars and presentations pertaining to the Water Quality Program. 

District Map

Map of Water and Wastewater Districts showing the counties in each District, the District Engineers and Assistant District Engineers, and their contact information.

Interactive GIS map.  Use this map to determine the legal description or lat/long of your projects.