BLM releases Record of Decision for the Alkali Creek Reservoir Project

WORLAND - The Bureau of Land Management Wyoming has issued the Record of Decision for the Alkali Creek Reservoir Project located near Hyattville.

The Record of Decision (ROD) includes the BLM's decision on the project and an Adaptive Management and Monitoring Plan developed in partnership with the State of Wyoming and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The project was proposed by the Wyoming Water Development Commission and creates a 294-acre reservoir along Alkali Creek. The new reservoir will provide late-season irrigation for portions of the Norwood River Watershed while creating additional recreation opportunities in the area.

According to the decision, the proposed Alkali Creek Reservoir is approximately 3 miles northwest of Hyattville. Alkali Creek is an intermittent creek that flows into PaintRock Creek, which is a tributary of the Nowood River, all of which are in the Nowood River watershed.

This decision includes the authorization of a new earthen dam embankment and reservoir on Alkali Creek. The following would be included as part of the Proposed Action: staging, construction, an borrow material areas; the construction, operation, and maintenance of access roads; and a public recreation parking and boat ramp on public lands. The reservoir would primarily be filled with diversions from Paint Rock Creek and Medicine Lodge Creek during spring run-off. The supplemental irrigation water would be released starting in July, continuing through August, and extending into September.

The Record of Decision does not authorize construction to begin and does not apply to any state or private lands that may be part of the project. Construction of the project would commence on BLM managed lands once all other state, federal, and local authorizations are completed.

Appeals may be submitted to the Interior Board of Land Appeals as indicated in the ROD and at 43 CFR part 4. Appeals must be received within 30-days of the issuance of the decision.

The ROD and other project information is available at https://go.usa.gov/xUsam.

For more information, contact the Worland Field Office at 307-347-5100 or [email protected].