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 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.
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.
The Water Quality Division will present proposed revisions to Water Quality Rules Chapter 1, Wyoming Surface Water Quality Standards; and Chapter 2, Permit Regulations for Discharges to Wyoming Surface Waters to the Water and Waste Advisory Board at their December 12, 2024 meeting, starting at 9:00 a.m. The proposed revisions to Chapter 1 (1) fulfill the federal requirements at 40 CFR § 131.20, (2) restructure and align requirements with state law and federal law, regulations, and guidance; (3) revise designated uses and remove the designated use classification system; and (4) provide minor updates to specific water quality criteria. The proposed revisions to Chapter 2 (1) update references to the designated use classification system to reflect proposed revisions to Chapter 1; and (2) incorporate provisions related to fish toxicants, aquatic pesticides, and short-term sediment disturbance that Water Quality Division proposes to move from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2. More information is available at: http://deq.wyoming.gov/shwd/wwab/ under the “Upcoming Meeting” tab
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.
In addition to the every day operations of permitting and compliance, the Groundwater Program also conducts special investigations regarding potential groundwater contamination or impacts.
On June 23, 2013, the State of Wyoming announced that it would further investigate drinking water quality in the rural area east of Pavillion, Wyoming.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) and the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) have been leading this scientific investigation and will seek to address water quality concerns by evaluating the water quality of certain domestic water wells, the integrity of certain oil and gas wells, and historic pits in the Pavillion area.
The state’s investigation seeks to clarify water quality concerns and assess the need for any further action to protect drinking water resources. Wyoming will continue its work to assure residents have a clean source of drinking water available.
The DEQ received notification of water quantity and quality issues on August 11, 2017 for two existing and two deeper, replacement private domestic wells located 18 miles northeast of the Town of Moorcroft, Wyoming. The two existing domestic wells which had previously produced a good quantity of water had gone dry and the two deeper replacement wells had identified low pH (< 4 s.u.) in them.
A public meeting was held on October 12, 2017 in the Town of Moorcroft to answer questions on the recent water quality/quantity issues. In addition, a survey was distributed to identify well owners that may have noted potential water quality issues and to solicit access to sample those wells.
The DEQ received a complaint and a request to investigate two septic systems in the Hoback Junction Area on February 10, 2020 to determine if these facilities required permitting through the WDEQ Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program. The WDEQ in conjunction with Teton County conducted inspections of the two facilities and determined that one facility did not require a WDEQ UIC permit, and the second facility would require a UIC permit and had a non-permitted discharge to groundwater. The WDEQ worked with the landowner to remove the unpermitted discharge, and worked with the landowner to bring the facility into compliance with permitting requirements.
Subsequent to the facility inspection, the WDEQ received a second complaint and request for investigation on June 16, 2020 to investigate the cause of groundwater contamination in the Hoback Junction Area. The complaint specifically requested that the DEQ investigate and determine the cause(s) of nitrates in groundwater supplying local public and private water supply wells exceeding the EPA maximum contaminant level of 10 mg/L.