Bree Burton, Natural Resource/Planning Department Manger for Y2 Consultants, called into the Weekday Wake-Up to report on the Salt River Watershed Study and upcoming public meeting.

(0:00) Weekday wake up on SVI Radio heading into this hour’s guest interview segment and joining me over the phone today is Brie Burton. (0:07) Brie is the Natural Resource Planning Department Manager for Y2 Consultants (0:11) who has been tasked to help with the Salt River Watershed Study and Brie, we appreciate your time. How are you today? (0:18) I’m doing great.

Happy to be on and talk about what we’ve found with the study. (0:23) Absolutely, so take us back. I know that you and I had a conversation previously about this study, what it is and what it was for.

(0:29) So remind our listeners, what is the Salt River Watershed Study? (0:34) Yeah, so the Salt River Watershed Study was started about a year and a half ago now. (0:40) And this was a level one watershed study that was sponsored by the Star Valley Conservation District. (0:49) And they were able to get funding from the Wyoming Water Development Office to do a really deep dive into kind of understanding the Salt River Watershed.

(0:59) So this level one study focused on the entire Wyoming side of the Salt River Watershed and really focused on, you know, understanding kind of all the aspects from the biological, physical systems in the watershed. (1:16) And really what the main goal of that was to get this good background information to use to be able to start to develop potential watershed projects. (1:26) And so we were really able to kind of, you know, dive into where there are areas that may be, you know, missing some watershed or some problem areas that we might want to focus on to improve watershed health.

(1:38) And from that, where we were able to work with a lot of landowners in the valley and come up with some potential projects that we’ll be able to focus on moving forward to, you know, implement. (1:54) And these range from things from headgate replacements, to pipeline conversions, to stream restoration projects. (2:03) There’s a public access project.

(2:05) So we have a variety of projects that we’re really excited to share with everyone and move forward to really get some neat projects on the ground. (2:12) What it sounds like as far as sharing those projects with everyone. (2:16) Tell us about a public meeting that you’re going to be hosting in order to do just that.

(2:21) Yeah, so as we’re finally, as we’re finalizing the project, we will be holding a public meeting to go through the findings of our study. (2:31) And that’s going to be held on Monday, February 2 at the Afton Civic Center in the video room. (2:40) That’s going to be at 6pm.

(2:42) And what we really hope to do is just do a short presentation of what we found through the study and then be able to answer any questions or anything along those lines. (2:53) The document is currently out for public review, where it was funded with public funds. (2:59) It goes through a public review process.

(3:01) So that document is available online, as well as there’s a copy at the Star Valley Conservation District Office, if anyone wants to take a look at that prior to the meeting. (3:12) And we’ll be there to answer any questions or make sure there wasn’t anything, you know, we didn’t capture in that. (3:17) But we’re really looking forward to sharing the findings and showing the neat projects that we’re going to have moving forward with the Conservation District.

(3:26) Bree Burton with Y2 Consultants on the weekday wake up this morning. (3:28) So Bree, as you look at this study in the public meeting, the public comments, what are kind of the next steps in this process? (3:34) What happens after the meeting? (3:36) Yeah, so after the meeting, our public comment period will be open for another week. (3:41) So until February 9th, then we’ll gather all those comments, you know, adjust the document as we need to.

(3:50) And then the document will be finalized by the end of February. (3:54) And then from that, we’ll really start, you know, turning that over to the Conservation District. (3:59) And they’ll start, you know, looking at getting some of those projects out on the ground here, you know, over the next few years.

(4:05) The projects really focus on the small water project program that the Wyoming Water Development Commission has. (4:15) And so, you know, looking at when those funding opportunities are available to start getting those projects on the ground. (4:21) So we’re really getting into the action steps part of the part of the project.

(4:25) Yeah, that’s that was one of the questions I was going to ask, too. (4:28) When you get to this this phase of the process, the action steps, why is the study done, I guess was the question. (4:35) And who does it really benefit? (4:37) And maybe maybe speak to that, Brie, if you can, on on who this benefits and why this whole process is taking place.

(4:44) Yeah, so the study was really done to start getting a handle on, you know, what what opportunities are out there to help with watershed health in terms of projects. (4:57) How do we, you know, become more efficient with our water use in the watershed? (5:02) And this project really benefits, you know, any landowner within the valley. (5:07) So there’s, you know, opportunities, even if you didn’t get your project in on on this phase.

(5:12) You know, this this kind of opens the door for, you know, funding availability from different sources, particularly the Wyoming Water Development Office and the small water project program. (5:24) So this really gives that background to help, you know, with additional grants, additional funding and really, you know, starting to look at, you know, any kind of projects that landowners want to do. (5:36) But, yeah, just to just kind of reiterate, this really benefits, you know, anyone that has has some sort of water or landowners, you know, that that public benefit of water throughout the area.

(5:47) Again, this morning with Y2 Consultants, that is Bree Burton and the public meeting coming up on this on February 2nd at the Afton Civic Center at 6 o’clock p.m. (5:58) Bree, anything we missed about this study or the public meeting you’d like to mention today? (6:02) I don’t think so. We just welcome everyone to come out to the public meeting. (6:06) So we’d love to share what we found and answer any questions anyone has and look forward to hopefully seeing a lot of people.

(6:13) That sounds great. Again, February 2nd, 6 o’clock p.m. at the Afton Civic Center. (6:17) That’s Bree Burton, Natural Resource Planning Department Manager for Y2 Consultants.

(6:21) It’s all part of the weekday wake up on SVI Radio.