State water officials propose integrated approach to move Alkali Creek Reservoir forward

State water officials on May 7 described a multi‑pronged effort to revive the Alkali Creek Reservoir project, a permitted storage site in the Norwood/North Platte basin that has been under study and partial design for nearly two decades.

Director Jason Mead of the Wyoming Water Development Office told the Water Development Commission and the Select Water Committee that the project — which the office and local sponsors have estimated at roughly 8,900–9,000 acre‑feet of storage — has federal and state permits in place but has stalled because some landowner easements and other agreements remain unresolved. Mead said about $59 million has been appropriated for construction; the statutory reversion date on that appropriation was extended during the last legislative session to July 1, 2026, and staff are proposing further extension to July 1, 2027, if work progresses.

The office described an "integrated watershed" strategy that blends the reservoir with related conservation and conveyance work: piping portions of the Anita Ditch to reduce seepage and improve water quality on Paint Rock Creek (listed for E. coli), installing center pivots or…