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Hemmert Ranch subdivision prompts questions about water rights and road access in Thayne
Summary
Council and Sunrise Engineering discussed Hemmert Ranch subdivision concerns including whether irrigation water exists or can be separated from culinary supply, potential impact fees, and the proposed collector road alignment and highway entrance. The council asked for more engineering review before permitting advances.
The Thayne Town Council and Sunrise Engineering reviewed planning questions for the proposed Hemmert Ranch subdivision, focusing on water rights, irrigation capacity and road access.
Sunrise Engineering staff reported that the property may hold water rights but lacks an existing pressurized irrigation system. Mike Allred emailed the council asking whether the subdivision could use a separate irrigation system instead of culinary water. Council members and engineering staff noted that, in some nearby areas such as Bedford, pressurized irrigation is available when farms are subdivided, but Hemmert appears not to have an existing pressurized system.
Robert Hood of Sunrise Engineering said the town should consult water-rights specialist Marlow Scherbel to determine whether on-site rights could be used for irrigation rather than the culinary system. The council discussed that Wyoming practice often treats irrigation and culinary water similarly in terms of treatment and cost, and that the town would recoup system expansion costs through impact fees charged to new connections.
On transportation, the proposed entrance off the highway and the internal road-master plan drew attention: the planned collector road could extend to Muddy String, and council members emphasized there will be no individual driveways onto the main collector route. The council asked for a follow-up meeting to review road grades and the highway entrance alignment before final approvals.
No formal vote or subdivision approval was recorded during the meeting; the council directed staff and engineers to continue work to clarify water-rights, irrigation feasibility, and road design before the council takes further action.
