Legislators: If State’s Paying $90M For New La Prele Dam, Public Needs Access

If Wyoming taxpayers are going to put $90 million toward rebuilding the failing LaPrele Dam near Douglas, they should get something in return – perhaps recreational access and hydroelectric power, legislators said. 

With public money is going toward the project, the Legislature is obligated to make sure there’s benefit to public, beyond the roughly 100 irrigators who benefit most directly, some lawmakers argued. 

Including the state’s $90 million share, the new dam is expected to cost a total of $182 million. 

However, the House rejected an amendment including a guarantee of public access in House Bill 143, which funds the dam project. 

Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, brought the amendment calling for public access and the possibility of using the new dam to generate hydroelectric power. 

Much of the land surrounding the LaPrele Reservoir is already private, and Harshman acknowledged that “there’s some (more) land being bought up around it.” 

However, public access might be available through land controlled by the LaPrele Irrigation District that abuts Wyoming Highway 91 near the reservoir, Harshman said. 

There are also sections of state school trust land in the area that could provide access for recreational use, he added. 

Because the bill was on its second reading before the House, there’s still time to work in language regarding public access during its third and final reading, said Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland. 

He added that he lives near the reservoir, and the only current public access point is near the existing dam. 

“If want to go play on a reservoir, then that’s the reservoir to go play on,” Haroldson said. 

Dam Budget Recently Tripled

The LaPrele Dam is 115 years old and was built with an expected lifespan of 50 years. 

Officials have long been concerned about the dam’s condition. But after huge new cracks were discovered in the dam late last year, Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart issued an order to breach it, probably by April. 

The current plan is to start construction on a new dam by 2026, possibly completing it by 2029. 

It’s likely that the new dam site will be downstream from the current dam, Harshman said. 

The state initially agreed to pitch in about $30 million toward the project. 

But a house committee recently advanced a proposal to triple the state’s contribution to $90 million. 

Who Would Be Liable If The Dam Crumbles?

Gebhart and other engineers previously warned officials that if the current dam crumbles, the resulting deluge could cause significant loss of life and property damage – including taking out a vital section of Interstate 25 near Douglas. 

That’s why it might be a good idea to get the dam decommissioned from the irrigation district’s control, said Rep. Rob Geringer, R-Cheyenne. 

If the worst happens, the irrigation district could end up being held liable for the death and destruction, he said. 

New Dam Needed ASAP

Rep. Tomi Strock, R-Douglas, lives below the dam, and said that if the water level in the reservoir is kept low, the risk of catastrophic failure is minimal. 

The reservoir has been kept below capacity for quite some time, because of concerns over the dam’s condition. 

That’s put irrigators in a tight spot, Strock said. 

“Sometimes we are out of water by July 8,” she said. “Some years, that’s it. We are out of irrigation water because there hasn’t been enough snowpack.”

It’s imperative to keep the process of building the new dam moving forward, Strock said. And meanwhile, enough of the old dam should be kept in place to hold at least some irrigation water. 

Haroldson said that while recreation and other public benefits should factor in, the benefits to agricultural irrigators should remain the top priority.

Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.