The DEQ undertakes enforcement actions to preserve safe environmental conditions throughout Wyoming.
This page contains information on the enforcement actions that the Solid and Hazardous Waste Division may undertake, as well as a record of enforcement actions that have been undertaken by SHWD.
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In response to the Governor's request to limit contact and the move toward most WDEQ staff working remotely for the near future, the Solid and Hazardous Waste Division (SHWD) have made electronic document submittal available. This includes work plans, reports, general correspondence and Solid Waste permit applications. Electronic submittal forms are now available for SHWD programs. Please choose the appropriate form from the list of links below to upload documents. If submitted electronically, no hardcopy is required to be submitted unless you are contacted by SHWD staff with a request to submit the hard copy. Please note that SHWD is unable to accept comments on documents in public notice via these forms. Please refer to the public notice for instructions on how to submit comments.
Hazardous Waste, Voluntary Remediation, Orphan Site Programs
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This page contains any proposed Rules or Regulations that are currently under development within the Solid and Hazardous Waste Division.
Hazardous Waste Rules, Chapter 1
The Hazardous Waste Rules, Chapter 1, General Provisions were adopted and filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State on April 7, 2022. See https://rules.wyo.gov/.
Solid Waste
The Solid Waste Permitting and Corrective Action Program is conducting a public outreach on proposed revisions to the Solid Waste Rules Chapter 3 Industrial Landfills 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.
This page contains information on the variety of incentives that are available to participants in the Voluntary Remediation Program.
List of Incentives:
Liability assurances are agreements from the DEQ that cleanup goals for a piece of property (a “site”), or a portion of a site, that satisfy DEQ requirements, are underway or have been completed. Liability assurances affect DEQ’s ability to require additional cleanup at a site, and give site owners, operators, prospective purchasers, and land developers certainty about the extent of their responsibility for cleanup.
The VRP establishes three types of liability assurances:
The liability assurance(s) issued depend on site-specific conditions, on the remedies implemented, and on the amount of certainty a Volunteer wants about the potential for DEQ to require additional cleanup in the future.
DEQ has developed an administrative process for managing sites that receive Brownfield Assistance (BA). BA will be provided by the state in the form of limited site work, such as assessments and/or cleanups of VRP-eligible sites.
Upon petition by the Volunteer, the local land use authority may grant a Use Control Areas (UCA) to limit the types of land use activities at a site. In general, a UCA must be in effect before DEQ can enter into a remedy agreement that includes cleanup levels based on restricted site uses (e.g., industrial cleanup levels) implemented through a UCA. For additional information on UCAs, refer to Factsheet #23 Institutional Controls, Engineering Controls, and Use Control Areas.
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Please see the documents below for information on Voluntary Remediation Program activities:
This tab contains a variety of additional information and resources pertaining to the Voluntary Remediation Program. Click through the links to access this information.
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The Voluntary Remediation Program establishes two unique avenues for public participation:
Volunteers must publish a display ad for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper with general circulation in the county where the site is located.
Volunteers must also publish a display ad for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper with general circulation in the county where the site is located.
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This tab contains content and information about the Voluntary Remediation Program sites around Wyoming. There are currently over 200 sites in the VRP, and new Volunteers are entering the program and beginning cleanup at their sites.
To see the interactive VRP GIS-based Flex Viewer, click here. An updated static map and a User's Guide for the Flex Viewer will be available soon.
To view a detailed VRP site list that includes locations with Institutional Controls please see the list below. This list provides specific information about each VRP site, including:
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The SHWD Voluntary Remediation Program has enabled the successful cleanup and restoration of contaminated lands in a number of communities around Wyoming. The impacts made through the VRP are not only enduring for these communities – they're also achieved through economically feasible practices that encourage the long-term, productive usage of these lands.
Browse through the following stories to learn more about the program's established successes.
Jackson Hole VRP Site
The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort maintenance shop was a classic brownfield site. A developer was interested in purchasing this property and turning it into a world-class hotel complex. However, potential environmental issues presented an obstacle for obtaining financing for the hotel complex.
The VRP worked diligently with the environmental consultant and the developer to move the site through the independent cleanup process (ICP). Earlier site investigations, combined with soil removals, revealed no remaining environmental concerns; therefore, the VRP was able to provide the environmental liability assurances necessary to secure funding for the purchase of the property and construction of the hotel complex. Today, in the place where a small maintenance shop once stood, a beautiful four-star hotel and condominium complex rest in the shadow of the beautiful Teton Mountains near Jackson Hole.
City of Evanston VRP Site
In 1972, the Union Pacific Railroad gifted the City of Evanston with the historical Roundhouse and Railyard Complex, which is also located in Evanston. The buildings, soils, and groundwater on the site were contaminated with a variety of organic and inorganic contaminants.
The City of Evanston, in an effort to remediate and restore this site, applied and was accepted into the DEQ's VRP on February 4, 2003. VRP staff worked extensively with the City of Evanston to evaluate and identify different options for addressing the contamination that were protective of human health and the environment and were cost effective and economically feasible. In addition, VRP staff worked with the City of Evanston to help identify potential funding sources for remediation and restoration efforts. In 2006, DEQ determined that the Roundhouse and Railyard Complex met the definition of a brownfield and that the City of Evanston was a favorable candidate to receive Brownfields Cleanup Assistance.
The City of Evanston is using a phased approach to remediate and restore the site. The first phase has focused on cleaning up and restoring the historic machine shop, and constructing a paved parking lot and pedestrian plaza. The machine shop and parking lot are completed and the pedestrian plaza is underway. The Brownfields Cleanup Assistance was used for the cleanup of the parking lot area. The next phase (2) will focus on remediation and restoration of the Roundhouse and surrounding area. The City of Evanston is currently pursuing additional funding sources to help with Phase 2.
Once cleaned up and renovated, the Roundhouse and Railyard Complex will provide a tremendous revitalization focus for downtown Evanston and a significant economic benefit for the community.