Grant received for Red Lane water study

The Hot Springs Conservation District, working in conjunction with the Hot Springs County Planning Office, has recently been awarded a grant from the Wyoming Agriculture Department to conduct a study of groundwater conditions in the Red Lane area.

The study will test certain privately-owned wells over a two-year period, to evaluate trends in water quality and also to observe variations in groundwater depth throughout the year. In particular, the influence of the Bighorn River on groundwater during high-water months will be studied.

Approximately one dozen existing wells in the Red Lane area will need to be volunteered by property owners, for periodic sampling during the study period.

Darcy Axtell, District Manager for the Conservation District, will conduct the sampling and perform some of the testing here in Thermopolis. Other testing will be conducted by an independent lab.

According to County Planner Bo Bowman, “This study should give us a better understanding of hydraulic interaction between the river and groundwater in Red Lane.”

While this grant is only for the purpose of studying existing groundwater conditions, it may lead to other opportunities for the Red Lane community.

For example, the data gained from this study could lead to additional funding from the State of Wyoming to address any impacts to groundwater that may be identified by this groundwater study. These could include funding for improvements to septic systems or wells, or floodwater and stormwater controls. However, Axtell notes that there are no preconceived notions about the findings from this study.

A public information meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19, in the basement meeting room of Big Horn Federal Savings Bank.

All Red Lane residents and property owners are encouraged to attend. Anyone who is unable to attend, and who has questions about this project, should contact Darcy at the Conservation District, 864-3488 or hotspringscd@gmail.com, or Bo at the County Planning Office at 864-2961 or hscplanner@hscounty.com.