Pine Creek instream flow issue reborn
Pinedale Town Council meeting Monday, Oct. 30
by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
October 29, 2006
The Town of Pinedale will hold their next regular Town Council meeting on Monday, October 30th. This meeting is the rescheduled meeting for the one that was cancelled on Monday, October 23 due to lack of a quorum.
Because the regular Town Council meeting was cancelled, citizens who attended the Special Meeting held the Friday before, in which the Council approved a formal resolution stating the Town’s official support of the draft legislation for the Fremont Lake Pilot Project, did not get a chance to address the Council to express their views on the topic at an advertised regular public meeting before council members attended the meeting of the Joint Agriculture, Public Lands and Water Resources Interim Committee last week to discuss the Fremont Lake Pilot Project.
The Council voted 3 in favor, 2 against, passing the ordinance. Despite lack of public notice of the meeting, word-of-mouth got many people there and resulted in a standing-room-only audience, with people speaking both for and against the ordinance and proposed legislation.
The question has not been answered about whether or not this vote was legal, since the radio station was not notified and the meeting was not advertised in either of the papers of general circulation in the county to notify the public. Since the meeting was called as a Special Meeting, rather than an Emergency Meeting, the Council does not have to revote on the ordinance at Monday's regular Town Council meeting.
The Town Council meeting on Monday will be at the Pinedale Town Hall, beginning at 5:30 pm. The water issue is not on the regularly scheduled agenda, but the public may speak on the topic during the public concerns time slot of the meeting.
Pinedale Mayor Steve Smith and Councilman Dave Smith both attended the Interim Committee session in Sundance, Wyoming, last week to speak on the proposed Fremont Lake Pilot Project bill, and it is assumed they will give a report to the Town Council at Monday’s meeting.
For those who wish to obtain more background information on the Pinedale Pine Creek instream flow debate, here are links to more online information specific to this topic:
September 30, 2004 - Public Notice to sell water rights (Sublette Examiner)
http://www.sublette.com/examiner/v4n27/v4n27s7.htm
October 7, 2004 - Pinedale's Water Deal (Sublette Examiner)
http://www.sublette.com/examiner/v4n28/v4n28s1.htm
October 14, 2004 - Town stalls on water deal (Sublette Examiner)
http://www.sublette.com/examiner/v4n29/v4n29s2.htm
October 28, 2004 - Water sale to go to public vote (Sublette Examiner)
http://www.sublette.com/examiner/v4n31/v4n31s4.htm
May 4, 2006 - Town votes 229-130 no water sale (Sublette Examiner)
http://www.sublette.com/examiner/v6n6/v6n6s3.htm
October 26, 2006 - Pinedale council considers its water – again (Sublette Examiner)
http://www.sublette.com/examiner/v6n31/v6n31s3.htm
October 26, 2006 - Town seeks exemption to state water law (Sublette Examiner)
http://www.sublette.com/examiner/v6n31/v6n31s4.htm
Wyoming State Engineer’s Office - Water Law & permit lookup
http://seo.state.wy.us/
Trout Unlimited website
http://www.tu.org
Trout Unlimited proposes water leasing legislation in Utah
http://www.tu.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=7dJEKTNuFmG&b=346321&ct=2999301
Interview with Laurie Goodman, Trout Unlimited, regarding Pine Creek instream flow
http://focuswest.org/water/transcripts/transgoodman.htm
Instream Flow – Threat or Opportunity?, Wyoming Game & Fish article
http://gf.state.wy.us/print.asp?id=1551
Pinedale Town Council Water Rights Meeting Oct. 20 (Pinedale Online! 10/20/06)
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2006/10/PineCreekWaterRights.htm
Pinedale Town Council votes to approve releasing water to Pine Creek (Pinedale Online! 10/20/06)
http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2006/10/Townvotestosupportre.htm
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