Committee approves amendment requiring potential water testing near limited mining operations

A committee amendment that would allow the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to require water-quality testing of domestic wells near proposed limited mining operations passed the Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee, which voted 7–1 with one member excused to advance House Bill 59.

The DEQ-proposed amendment would allow the department to require testing of "any drinking water well or domestic well within 300 feet of the proposed limited mining operation," and instructs that operators need not sample wells where the well owner does not grant access, Director Todd Parfit told the committee.

Supporters said the change narrows the scope of the original bill and provides homeowners with a baseline sample if problems arise. The Wyoming Mining Association and the Associated General Contractors said they would back the bill if the 300-foot limitation were adopted,…