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Reservoir

WoodruffNarrowsReservoir

Palisades Reservoir

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GraysLake

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ek

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Casper

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Craig

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Riverton

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GreenRiver

RockSprings

Baggs

111° 110° 109° 108° 107°

41°

42°

43°

0 60 80 MILES20 40

0 60 80 KILOMETERS20 40

287

40

191

2026

26

287

189

30

26

89

191

189

89

80

25

80

Base modified from U.S. Bureau of the Census digital data, 1990 and 2000Hydrography modified from USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) digital data, 1999,and U.S. Geological Survey digital data, Enhanced River Reach File, 1999Albers Equal-area Conic projection, Standard parallels 29°30′N and 45°30′N, central meridian 107°30′W

30

09258980

09217000

WYO

MIN

G RAN

GE

WIND RIVER RANGE

Boundary of Upper Colorado River Basin

EXPLANATION

Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) study area

Green River drainage basin

Muddy Creek drainage basin

09211200Continuous-record streamflow-gaging station and number

09211200Active water-quality sampling site and number

09217000Active water-quality sampling site equipped with a monitor and number

09216050Inactive water-quality sampling site and number

09211200

09216050

ATLANTIC

RIM

MONTANA

WYOMING

SOU

TH

DA

KO

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EB

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July 2013WLCI Fact Sheet 4

The quality of the Nation’s water resources are vital to the health and well-being of both our communities and the natural landscapes we value. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigates the occurrence, quantity, quality, distribution, and movement of surface water and groundwater and provides this information to engineers, scientists, managers, educators, and the general public. This information also supplements current (2013) and histori-cal water data provided by the National Water Information System (NWIS). The USGS collects and shares data nationwide, but how those data are

U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resource Monitoring Activities in Support of the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative

used is often site specific; this variety of data assists natural-resource manag-ers in addressing unique, local, and regional challenges.

Southwestern Wyoming (Fig. 1) contains diverse landscapes that provide habitat for an array of plant and wildlife species and that harbor vast reserves of mineral (natural gas, trona, coal, and oil) and natural (wind) resources that are actively being developed. The potential responses of aquatic habitats in this region are not fully understood in relation to potential effects from natural-resource and min-eral development (herein referred to as

energy development) such as increased sediment transport, changes to surface-water quality and quantity, interactions between groundwater and surface water, and the potential to transmit dis-eases among and between organisms. This lack of information about aquatic habitats has led to water-quality moni-toring efforts throughout the region. More comprehensive monitoring also will assist land managers in assessing a broad spectrum of ecosystem functions including: energy development effects on native fishes and other aquatic spe-cies; potential effects of climate change on arid stream systems; and effects of energy-development infrastructure on aquatic resources in terms of habitat disturbance primarily from road, turbine, well-pad, and transmission-corridor construction.

In addition to monitoring the ecological health of aquatic ecosys-tems throughout this region, assessing potential effects of energy development on consumptive water supplies is vital. The Green River near Green River, Wyoming (Wyo.), and Muddy Creek near Baggs, Wyo., are both tributar-ies of the Colorado River Basin and active energy development is occur-ring in both river basins. The Colorado

The WLCI is a long-term, science-based program to assess and enhance aquatic and terrestrial habitats at the landscape scale in southern Wyoming, while facilitating responsible development through local collaboration and partnerships.

Get Involved!The partnerships represented by the WLCI are most effective if they include the individuals and groups who live and work in southwest Wyoming. Three great ways to get involved are project development, information sharing, and making a contribution.

Prepared in cooperation with the

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitoring station along Muddy Creek near Baggs, Wyoming. Image courtesy of Kirk Miller, USGS.

“Conserving world-class wildlife resources. Facilitating responsible development.”

Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative

Wind

River

WindLittleR

River

Sweetwater

Popo Agie

River

Creek

Cr

Creek

Muddy

Salt

Slate

Snake

River

Hobac

kRive

r

Rive

r

R

R

River

Sand

y

Big

Fork

East

ForkNew

Green

River

Greys

Bear

Salt

River

River

Ham

s

Smith

sFo

rk

Fork

Fork

Creek

Mud

dy

Fk

Green

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r

River

R River

Platte

North

Enca

mp m

ent

River

Elk

Snak

e

Little

Fk

Smith

sBla

cks

River

River

Uinta

R Fork

Bear

Hen

rys

R

Fork

Powde

r

South

River

N

Bear Lake

Fontenelle Reservoir

Flaming Gorge

Reservoir

WoodruffNarrowsReservoir

Palisades Reservoir

BlackfootReservoir

GraysLake

BoysenReservoir

BullLake Ocean

Lake

PathfinderReservoir

Alcova

SeminoeReservoir

FremontLake

Creek

Bitter

Cre

ek

Vermillion

Pine

Cr

FREMONT

CARBON

SWEETWATER

TETON

NATRONASUBLETTE

LINCOLN

MOFFAT

UINTA

SUMMIT

RICH

ROUTT

UINTAHJACKSON

CARIBOU

BEARLAKE

DUCHESNE

DAGGETT

CA

CH

E

WASATCH

BONNEVILLE

WYOMINGCOLORADO

UTA

H I

DA

HO

Lander

Casper

Rawlins

Craig

Kemmerer

Riverton

Evanston

Coalville

GreenRiver

RockSprings

Baggs

111° 110° 109° 108° 107°

41°

42°

43°

0 60 80 MILES20 40

0 60 80 KILOMETERS20 40

287

40

191

2026

26

287

189

30

26

89

191

189

89

80

25

80

Base modified from U.S. Bureau of the Census digital data, 1990 and 2000Hydrography modified from USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) digital data, 1999,and U.S. Geological Survey digital data, Enhanced River Reach File, 1999Albers Equal-area Conic projection, Standard parallels 29°30′N and 45°30′N, central meridian 107°30′W

30

09258980

09217000

WYO

MIN

G RAN

GE

WIND RIVER RANGE

Boundary of Upper Colorado River Basin

EXPLANATION

Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) study area

Green River drainage basin

Muddy Creek drainage basin

09211200Continuous-record streamflow-gaging station and number

09211200Active water-quality sampling site and number

09217000Active water-quality sampling site equipped with a monitor and number

09216050Inactive water-quality sampling site and number

09211200

09216050ATL

ANTICRIM

MONTANA

WYOMING

SOU

TH

DA

KO

TAN

EB

RA

SKA

COLORADOUTAH

IDA

HO

Studyarea

MORGAN

Reservoir

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lsColorado River Basin (Clark and Davidson, 2009).

The USGS continues surface-water and groundwater data collection (including water-quality) at select streamgages and monitoring wells in the WLCI study areas of southwest Wyoming and maintains continuous monitoring efforts on upper Muddy Creek. In response to specific WLCI requests, new efforts were implemented in 2011 that include baseline ground-water data collection and subsequent monitoring of aquifers in the Normally Pressured Lance Formation. This work is ongoing; a pre-study has been funded, and field work was completed in 2012 (Sweat, 2013). The USGS also has provided Sublette County Conser-vation District with algal community data to augment existing water-quality and macroinvertebrate monitoring in the New Fork River watershed.

The USGS is working to leverage current funding and seeking new sup-port to continue monitoring efforts in the WLCI study area. Ensuring that continuous monitoring efforts are sus-tained and emerging research needs are met will support the WLCI and partner agencies in their efforts to assess and address critical questions and concerns related to protection, restoration, and understanding of aquatic and riparian habitats in southwestern Wyoming.

PartnersWyoming Department of Envi-

ronmental Quality, Wyoming State Engineer’s Office, Medicine Bow Conservation District, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Upper Colorado Region,

U.S. Bureau of Land Management Rawlins Field Office, U.S. Bureau of Land Management State Office, U.S. Bureau of Land Management Pinedale Field Office, U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Water Program, U.S. Geological Survey National Streamflow Information Program, and the U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Benchmark Network.

References CitedClark, M.L., and Davidson, S.L.,

2009, Specific conductance and dissolved-solids characteristics for the Green River and Muddy Creek, Wyoming, water years 1999–2008: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5168, 18 p., available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5168/.

Sweat, M.J., 2013, Groundwater well inventory and assessment in the area of the proposed normally pressured Lance Natural Gas Development Project, Green River Basin, Wyoming, 2012: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 770, 18 p., online only at http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/770

River supplies drinking water and irrigation for millions of people and provides industrial and commercial water supplies. Water-quality standards have been established for the Colo-rado River Basin, and there is specific concern regarding increased levels of dissolved-solids (DS) concentrations from energy development in southwest-ern Wyoming. Increased DS concentra-tions from the Green River and Muddy Creek could adversely affect the degree to which these standards are met and could potentially affect downstream water users.

The USGS has been monitoring the Green River in relation to irriga-tion projects for decades. However, in response to concerns about energy development in the region, additional monitoring efforts were implemented on the Green River and Muddy Creek. This monitoring is conducted in coop-eration with State and other Federal agencies and as part of the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI). Water-quality monitoring for the Green River and Muddy Creek includes measuring stream flow, spe-cific conductance, and the collection of water samples for laboratory analysis of DS concentrations. By examining relations between measured specific conductance and DS concentrations in water samples, USGS scientists were able to develop a web-based tool that provides real-time DS concentrations for the Green River and Muddy Creek. This tool uses continuous specific- conductance values to estimate DS. These data are used by water managers for assessing DS concentrations in the

Donate!The WLCI has an agreement with the Wyoming Community Foundation/WLCI to manage contributions for WLCI work. Donations can be made through www.wlci.gov or send a tax-free contribution to:

Wyoming Community Foundation/WLCI P.O. Box 20088 Cheyenne, WY 82003 www.wycf.org

PartnershipsThe WLCI partnership formally includes the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Park Service, Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, local conservation districts, and local county commissions. Additional groups and individuals participate as well.

Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative 280 Hwy 191 N Rock Springs, WY 82901 307-352-0397, www.wlci.gov

For more information contact:Suzanna Soileau, ssoileau@usgs.gov, 406-994-7257,U.S. Geolgical Survey Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Kirk Miller, kmiller@usgs.gov, 307-775-9168U.S. Geogical SurveyWyoming Water Science Center