Wyoming panel narrows temporary water-use agreements to finite terms; in‑stream flow exclusion debated and rejected

The Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee on a voice vote moved Senate File 43, a bill that would limit the length of temporary water‑use agreements and add statutory clarity about how the agreements may be used.

The bill, presented by Senator Steinmetz, would allow the state engineer to approve temporary transfers for successive periods not to exceed five years each, with a total maximum transfer length of ten years. Steinmetz said the goal is to prevent effectively permanent arrangements being processed as perpetual temporary renewals: "this bill seeks to limit those to 5 years," he told the committee.

Supporters said the measure codifies limits and reduces uncertainty for water users and regulators. Brandon Gilbert, state engineer, and Chris Brown of the attorney general's office told the committee the change grew from a multiyear review and that the revision clarifies the statute. Brown summarized the legal view on a recurring concern: "the opinion ... concluded that neither this statute, the temporary transfer statute, nor the in‑stream flow statutes allow for the temporary transfer for an in‑stream flow purpose," meaning…