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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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.