The Wyoming State Engineer’s Office is set to take public input on water rights on the Snake River headwaters at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the Teton County Library. A recent application to set flow metrics doesn’t mean the federally protected sections are at risk. But the forum is part of the process to determine how much water must legally stay in the river.
Ever since 2009 when U.S. Sen. John Barrasso got Congress’ stamp of approval, 414 miles of the Snake River headwaters have been designated “Wild” or “Scenic” under the Craig Thomas Snake Headwaters Legacy Act. Three headwaters segments water rights are up for discussion and among several of which have yet to be quantified, meaning there’s no legal flow metrics established. A recent federal application to establish flow requirements prompted the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office, which oversees water rights, to hold a hearing for public input.
The act has since made the 13 rivers in the headwaters some of the most protected in the country, as they carve through canyons, mountain ranges, glacial lakes and sage flats.
The Craig Thomas Act protects water rights from ever inhibiting the free-flowing nature of the headwaters, three-quarters of which are within the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The act sets flow amounts to prioritize water quality and the headwaters’ “outstandingly remarkable” ecology, scenery, recreation and more, considering downstream usage and potential pressures from drought or fire.
All three segments in question are either on National Park or Forest Service lands, covering the Lewis from Shoshone Lake to where it meets the Snake and the Snake headwaters to Jackson Lake.
Wednesday’s meeting is a chance to check the government’s math when it comes to flow metrics.
But Snake River Fund Executive Director Orion Hatch would love to see the public show up in support of the act and its sweeping protections.
“We hope that the public will come out and just share how special these stretches of water are to all of us,” Hatch said, “and set a precedent for ‘Wild’ and ‘Scenic’ water rights.”
