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.

Nutrient Pollution

Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), in appropriate amounts, are essential to healthy aquatic ecosystems. Excessive nutrients, or nutrient pollution, however, can result in excessive growth of aquatic plants, algae, and cyanobacteria that can lead to harmful cyanobacterial blooms, oxygen depletion, high pH, fish kills, and general degradation of aquatic resources.

Nutrient pollution can therefore impact the use of surface waters for drinking water, aquatic life, recreation, livestock, and wildlife. Click here to see maps of nutrient conditions in Wyoming’s streams and rivers and lakes and reservoirs.

DEQ, with the assistance of the Wyoming Nutrient Work Group, has developed the Wyoming Nutrient Strategy to identify priority items and next steps for addressing nutrient pollution in Wyoming’s surface waters. Priorities include development and implementation of numeric nutrient criteria; proactive nutrient reduction efforts in priority watersheds, and working with the Wyoming Department of Health, the Wyoming Livestock Board, and other stakeholders to evaluate and respond to potential harmful cyanobacterial blooms.

Lindsay Patterson, Program Supervisor (Cheyenne)
Surface Water Quality Standards
307-777-7079

Contact
NAME/EMAIL ADDRESSPROGRAMPHONE
David Waterstreet, Program ManagerWatershed Program307-777-6709
Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 Certification and Turbidity Waivers  
Eric Hargett (Cheyenne)CWA Section 401 Certification, Turbidity Waivers307-777-6701
Data Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC)  
Jillian Scott (Cheyenne)Data QA/QC307-777-6372
Nonpoint Source Pollution Program  
Alexandria Jeffers (Cheyenne)Nonpoint Source Program307-777-6733
Surface Water Monitoring Program  
Jeremy Zumberge, Program Supervisor (Sheridan)Surface Water Monitoring Program307-675-5638
Tavis Eddy (Lander)Surface Water Monitoring Program307-335-6957
Eric Hargett (Cheyenne)Surface Water Monitoring Program307-777-6701
Jason Martineau (Sheridan)Surface Water Monitoring Program307-675-5632
Triston Rice (Cheyenne)Surface Water Monitoring Program307-777-6353
Chad Rieger (Sheridan)Surface Water Monitoring Program307-675-5637
Michael Wachtendonk (Lander)Surface Water Monitoring Program307-335-6751
Surface Water Quality Standards  
Lindsay Patterson, Program Supervisor (Cheyenne)Surface Water Quality Standards307-777-7079
Kelsee Hurschman (Cheyenne)Surface Water Quality Standards, Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms307-777-2073
Madeleine Hamel (Cheyenne)Surface Water Quality Standards, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)307-777-7050
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program  
Ron Steg, Program Lead (Lander)Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)307-335-6980
Bret Callaway (Cheyenne)Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)307-777-5802
Water Quality Lab  
Steve Vien, Lab Supervisor (Cheyenne)Water Quality Lab307-777-7654
Alexandra Cook (Cheyenne)Water Quality Lab307-777-7151
Marisa Latady (Cheyenne)Water Quality Lab307-777-6783
Vacant (Cheyenne)Water Quality Lab307-777-3770
Numeric Nutrient Criteria

Wyoming’s surface water quality standards currently only include narrative criteria to protect designated uses from nutrient pollution. Numeric nutrient criteria, concentrations of nitrogen and/or phosphorus and response variables such as chlorophyll a, are expected to more effectively protect Wyoming’s surface waters because they can be used to more consistently: identify waters that are meeting water quality criteria and need to be protected; identify waters that are not meeting water quality criteria and need to be restored; establish restoration targets for waters that are not meeting water quality criteria; and develop effluent limits for point sources.

Wyoming’s Plan to Develop Numeric Nutrient Criteria 
In 2008, WDEQ and Tetratech developed the Wyoming Nutrient Criteria Development Plan. The plan summarized existing data, identified a general framework for developing and adopting criteria, prioritized lakes and reservoirs, and established timelines to achieve milestones. During development of the 2017 Wyoming Nutrient Strategy, the Wyoming Nutrient Work Group provided additional input on how to prioritize waters for numeric nutrient criteria development; WDEQ incorporated this and other changes into the 2018 Wyoming Nutrient Criteria Development Plan.

Current Status of Numeric Criteria Development – Wyoming Basin Lakes and Reservoirs
WDEQ is currently focused on developing numeric criteria for small to mid-sized lakes and reservoirs in south-central Wyoming (i.e., Wyoming Basin). The criteria are intended to protect aquatic life and have been derived primarily using a stressor-response approach corroborated with other lines of evidence. WDEQ has drafted a technical support document (TSD) describing the analyses, results, and recommendations for numeric criteria. The TSD recently underwent external peer review. WDEQ is in the process of evaluating the reviews, and will be updating the analyses, recommendations, and document as necessary. WDEQ plans to share the TSD with the Wyoming Nutrient Work Group. Following review by the Wyoming Nutrient Work Group, WDEQ will begin the process of formally adopting the criteria into Wyoming’s surface water quality standards. 

Other Lakes and Reservoirs Prioritized for Numeric Criteria Development in the Short-Term
WDEQ anticipates developing numeric nutrient criteria for the following lakes and reservoirs in the short-term: Bighorn Basin lakes and reservoirs, Boysen Reservoir, Southeast Wyoming lakes and reservoirs, and Seminoe Reservoir. Additional details are included in the 2018 Wyoming Nutrient Criteria Development Plan

Data Compilation and Collection Efforts
As an initial step in developing numeric nutrient criteria, WDEQ and Tetratech compiled the Wyoming Nutrient Database in 2008 to store nutrient and associated variable data. Since that time, WDEQ has updated the database with additional lake and reservoir data, identified data gaps, developed sampling and analysis plans to fill data gaps, and collected additional data on lakes and reservoirs an annual basis since 2013. Sampling and analysis plans describing WDEQ’s data collection efforts on lakes and reservoirs are included in the “Resources” at the bottom of this page. In addition, as part of the WDEQ/USGS Cooperative Monitoring Network, quarterly or monthly nutrient data collections were initiated in 2015 at USGS gages on major tributaries to and outlets from a handful of large reservoirs. 

WDEQ’s Monitoring Program has also collected nutrient related data at both new and previously monitored stream and river sites. This has included over 200 probabilistic sites as part of the Bighorn/Yellowstone, Northeast, Green, and Platte superbasin surveys conducted in 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016, respectively. Additional monitoring as part of targeted studies for designated use support, effectiveness of best management practice, TMDL development, reference site re-visits, and new reference site identification has also occurred annually on multiple streams and rivers since 2007. Details regarding this monitoring can be found in the Monitoring Program’s Surface Water Monitoring Strategy and Annual Work Plans.

Wyoming Nutrient Strategy

The Wyoming-Nutrient-Strategy identifies priority items and next steps to address nutrient pollution in Wyoming’s surface waters from the following four areas:

Annual Report
Activities conducted in 2022 are summarized in:

Annual Priorities
A subset of priorities for 2023 were identified from the broader strategy. DEQ and the Wyoming Nutrient Work Group will update the strategy and annual priorities as needed.  

Priority Watershed for Nutrient Strategy Implementation: The Boysen Initiative

Boysen Reservoir was selected as the priority for implementing proactive point and nonpoint source nutrient reductions due to its importance for recreation, use as a public water supply, and the risk posed to these uses by recurring cyanobacterial blooms in the reservoir.

The Boysen Initiative aims to protect public health and improve recreational experiences in Boysen Reservoir by decreasing cyanobacterial blooms through a reduction in nutrient contributions to the reservoir. 

  • Initiative Goals and Objectives: DEQ has been working to solidify near term goals and objectives for the initiative. As currently drafted, a nonpoint source work group would focus on developing (1) a sampling and analysis plan to inform watershed nutrient reduction efforts and (2) a watershed plan to reduce nutrients from nonpoint sources. A point source group would focus on developing discharger specific plans to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus, and a science group would focus on identifying concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus and corresponding reductions in these nutrients that would prevent harmful densities of cyanobacteria for drinking water and recreational uses of the reservoir.
  • Point Sources: DEQ has started to incorporate nutrient monitoring requirements into Wyoming Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WYPDES) permits in the Boysen Reservoir watershed as permits are renewed. This information will be used to help determine contributions of nutrients from point sources and inform nutrient reduction efforts. 

To sign up for the Wyoming Nutrient Work Group listserv, please click here.

Wyoming Nutrient Work Group

The Wyoming Nutrient Work Group (WNWG) is a comprehensive set of stakeholders that assists Wyoming DEQ in addressing nutrient pollution in Wyoming's surface waters. The WNWG includes representatives from agriculture, industry, municipalities, water and wastewater management, land and resource management agencies, the environment, and members of the public. The group is helping to develop and implement the Wyoming Nutrient Strategy as well as providing input on development and implementation of numeric nutrient criteria.

A summary of the group, as well as meeting summaries and notes, can be downloaded below. 

To sign up for the Wyoming Nutrient Work Group listserv, please click here.

For more information about the WNWG, please contact:

Lindsay Patterson
307-777-7079
 lindsay.patterson@wyo.gov