Water availability (Sheridan: houses, buy, gated)

[KentuckyRifle]

Hi folks,

This is my first time posting, have been lurking for quite a while. I would love to move to Wyoming and purchase some acreage in a remote or fairly remote area. Looking for something where there are trees and hills, (cant stand anything really flat).

I also dont have a lot of money so from what I have read the northeastern part of the state is probably the direction I need to look. My question is, how big of an issue is it to get water access in that part of the state? Particularly well access. Does this need to be a huge concern for any piece of land that I look at?

[MHT]

Originally Posted by KentuckyRifle

Hi folks,

This is my first time posting, have been lurking for quite a while. I would love to move to Wyoming and purchase some acreage in a remote or fairly remote area. Looking for something where there are trees and hills, (cant stand anything really flat).

I also dont have a lot of money so from what I have read the northeastern part of the state is probably the direction I need to look. My question is, how big of an issue is it to get water access in that part of the state? Particularly well access. Does this need to be a huge concern for any piece of land that I look at?

It usually isn't a problem to drill a well for "house" use. It is getting more difficult to drill an irrigation well though. Also, don't count on water rights from a stream, etc. There are irrigated land parcels available - these are usually irrigated with water provided by an irrigation district that you would belong to. You would pay so much an acre for your water. You would only be able to do this if the land is already being irrigated at time of purchase.

[sunsprit]

Please go back through the Wyoming threads and read up on the water issues.

Water is a serious problem in the region, and Wyoming water laws are unique and very different than many other states. The state "owns" all of the water here, groundwater and surface water.

The area you're looking at is in a prolonged drought status right now. At the best of times, it's still very much a desert area.

Without rehashing all the details here again, it is absolutely essential that you know in advance of purchasing any land or homesite what, if any, water rights go with that property and what, if any, recent functional limitations exist for that water right. Just because you own a "right" to so much water, measured either by volume or flow (depending upon when/how it was awarded), doesn't mean that you will be actually able to have that water either from a well or from a water company.

The state engineer has been maintaining a policy of allowing 25 gpm water permits for domestic use per 40 acre homesite throughout the state. However, they are starting to realize that policy is overtaxing many water resources and denying functional water to prior well users (residents) and shutting off water to irrigators. They are beginning studies on the issue in the near future and will use these impact studies to determine future wells and permits.

Be aware that unless you own an adjudicated right to water for a beneficial use, you have no right whatsoever to that water. For example, you may buy a parcel with a seasonal stream that runs across the property. Without a water right, you may not use that water for any purpose whatsoever. Nor are the dowstream water right holders allowed to "give" you any of that water ... it still belongs to the state at the point on your land.

Further, you should make it a point to have any existing water wells tested for output and water quality. There are a lot of contaminants in the water throughout the region which may have serious health issues associated with the water quality. Unfortunately, very few well testing outfits or property owners will test for these contaminants, so they may represent a well as "good", when ... in fact ... it's not if you value your health and that of your vegetable garden, pets, or your livestock.

It is highly unlikely that you'll be able to get a new irrigation water right in Wyoming at this time. Between prior water rights going all the way back to the 1880's and the disputes with adjacent states over water delivery for the last few decades (and into the future), no new irrigation well permits have been issued for several years. Even at that, there's applications from hopefulls on file that would have precedence over your application for quite some time. So, if you want irrigation water, it will either come from an established well or water company provider. Again, be sure that there's actually water to deliver and that is has been delivered in the recent number of years.

Be very careful about this issue. Many realtors around here will skirt the issue if they know about it, or play very dumb about it. I know people who have bought properties around here with "good" wells that can't get 2 gallons per minute for much more than 30-40 minutes at a time. And likewise, some parcels sold out of a ranch that have a "good" well that's only a 1.5 gpm "seep" out of the ground, and there's now 6 homes (out of 20 platted) on the place. They just about have to call the neighbors before they can "flush" or take shower to see if it's OK at the time.

[ElkHunter]

Sunsprit head the nail on the head.

The only thing I can add to that is something he already mentioned. Quality of water.

When you go east of Sheridan, the water, looks good, smells ok, but will kill you and your grass. Not to mention horses. Many people haul water from town in large plastic containers on their pickup truck. After work, just slip down to the park, put the hose in. Put your 50 cents in. Wait about 4 or 5 minutes and shut it off. About twice a week and your doing fine. No big deal.

But those houses that have to carry water, are only a half mile from houses that have perfectly good water.

So have the water tested.