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Groundwater Pollution Control

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.

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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:

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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.

Groundwater Pollution Control

The Groundwater Pollution Control (GPC) Program evaluates potential impacts to the groundwaters of the State by activities permitted at the local, state, or federal level.

Program Duties

The GPC Program assists federal agencies with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews on projects like Pinedale Anticline and Moneta Divide. The GPC Program provides information and assistance to private well owners that have palatability issues or suspected contamination of their water, like the rural wells near Pavillion.

The GPC Program also reviews subdivision applications to ensure that the quality of water supply sources is adequate and that wastewater collection and treatment facilities will not impact groundwater.

The GPC Program and Groundwater Contamination

The GPC Program also oversees sites where groundwater contamination already exists and cleanup is on-going, as well as sites where impacts may occur in the future. Groundwater monitoring tracks the extent and levels of existing contamination while remediation treats the groundwater to remove contaminants.

Monitoring wells and remediation projects must be permitted and constructed properly to ensure that the contamination is not spread further. Examples would be legacy GPC Program sites, which are primarily sites contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, or uranium mine cleanup sites. The GPC Program also issues permits for monitoring wells designed to detect potential contamination originating from coal bed methane (CBM) produced water impoundments that may reach shallow aquifers.

GPC Program Manager: Nicole Twing 307-777-8275

Contact
Contact
NAMEPROGRAMSPHONE
Lily BarkauGroundwater Section Manager Cheyenne(307)777-7072
Nicole TwingGround Section Geology Supervisor, UIC, GPC, & Federal Facilities Programs(307)777-8275
John PassehlFederal Facilities Program, Geology Supervisor, Cheyenne(307)777-5623
Justin ScottUIC Program, Geology Supervisor, Cheyenne(307)777-7511
Laurel MorrowUIC Program, Project Geologist, Cheyenne(307)777-7608
Tyler HarrisUIC Program, Natural Resources Program Principal, Cheyenne(307)777-5501
Hunter HubbardUIC Program, Project Geologist, Cheyenne  (307)777-2960
Wylee RizzitelloGPC Program, Natural Resources Program Principal, Cheyenne(307)777-9355
Curtis CrawfordUIC Program, Natural Resource Analyst, Cheyenne(307)777-6080
Aaron BirkemeierGPC Program, Natural Resource Analyst, Cheyenne(307)777-7092
Graeme Finley UIC Program, Senior Project Geologist, Casper  (307)473-3478
Christy HutchinsonGPC Program, Natural Resources Program Principal, Casper(307)473-3468
Steven LooseGPC & UIC Program, Project Geologist, Lander(307)335-6942
Jack LeitnerUIC Program, Natural Resource Analyst, Lander(307)335-6752
Forms
Forms

This page contains a variety of downloadable documents and information – including the Wyoming Water Quality Form and the Transfer of Ownership Form – Pertaining to Requirements for New Facilities Capable of Causing or Contributing to Pollution

Important Document Notes:

  • The Wyoming Water Quality Application Form must accompany every application. 
  • The Transfer of Ownership Form must be submitted upon change of ownership of any permitted facility. The permit will be transferred to the new owner and automatically includes any conditions established in the original permit. 

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Coal Bed Natural Gas
Coal Bed Natural Gas

  • The GPC Program issues permits and tracks compliance monitoring data for Coal Bed Natural Gas (CBM) impoundments to ensure groundwater quality.

    About CBM Impoundments

    The CBM industry uses unlined surface impoundments as one option for managing produced water. As the stored water soaks into the soil, contaminants in the water or already present in the soil can leach out and reach the groundwater below the impoundments. 

    The GPC Program issues permits and tracks compliance monitoring data for impoundments that overlay Class III (livestock) quality shallow groundwater. Additionally, the GPC Program provides compliance monitoring data, and data obtained while drilling more than 2,000 groundwater investigation boreholes, to the general public.   

    Please refer to the following files below for more information

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Pesticide Monitoring
Pesticide Monitoring

For more information on the Wyoming Pesticide Monitoring Program and pesticide use in Wyoming, please visit the Wyoming Department of Agriculture Pesticide Program website.

Since 1995, the USGS has been monitoring pesticides in Wyoming groundwater.  For more information on the USGS Pesticide Monitoring Program and results by county, please visit the USGS WY/MT Water Science Center website.

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