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Lawmakers back $8 million study to inventory wastewater and stormwater systems, build statewide asset dashboards
Summary
Lawmakers voted to sponsor a bill to fund an $8 million expansion of DEQ’s drinking‑water asset management pilot so it also covers wastewater and stormwater infrastructure statewide and builds online dashboards.
The Select Water joint committee voted to sponsor a draft that would authorize an $8 million appropriation to complete a statewide inventory and develop online asset management dashboards for public wastewater and stormwater systems.
DEQ Water Quality Administrator Jennifer Zigmund told lawmakers the department has piloted asset management plans for six communities and recommends extending the approach to all public drinking‑water systems and to wastewater and stormwater at the same time. The state currently has roughly 412 public drinking‑water systems and an estimated 200 wastewater systems and about 100 municipalities with significant stormwater infrastructure, DEQ said. The department estimated it could complete statewide coverage within a four‑year window if funds are available for the wastewater and stormwater expansion.
The draft bill (26LSO219) would add DEQ statutory authority to collect wastewater and stormwater data alongside the ongoing drinking water effort, require cities, towns and special districts to provide requested infrastructure data, and appropriate $8 million from the Strategic Investments & Projects Account to the Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI) to retain contractor support for the expanded study. OSLI staff and the Water Development Office said the resulting online database would help prioritize State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans, mineral‑royalty grant awards and other state investments by identifying critical assets and providing standardized cost estimates and scenarios.
Deputy State Treasurer staff advised the committee about investment options and subscription pricing for the online platform, and stakeholders — including the Wyoming Association of Municipalities, municipal utilities and county planners — testified in strong support. Many witnesses emphasized the scale of the maintenance backlog and urged additional future appropriations to address billions in estimated needs for irrigation and municipal repairs.
Vote: The committee voted to sponsor 26LSO219 with a motion to add special districts to the entities that must provide data; the roll call was recorded as a majority in favor.
Next steps: The committee will carry the bill to the session; agencies will refine procurement for a contractor, and work will proceed to collect and validate asset data and operationalize subscription and maintenance arrangements.
