The Willwood Dam working groups have gathered a lot of data in the past few years to understand how sediment gets to the dam and moves past it during dam operations. In order to turn that data into something useful, it’s going to need to be analyzed. 

During repair operations in 2016, a large amount of sediment flowed downstream from the dam, which impacted aquatic life in the Shoshone River. 

The working groups are aiming to analyze the data they’ve collected since the event, under a contract with the United States Geological Survey. The analysis will give them a better idea of what’s called the sediment budget, which describes the sediment coming into the river and how it moves downstream. It will explore the universe of data they’ve gathered, help them understand deposition of sediment, what they’re faced with, and where the sediment is coming from. 

The analysis will be published in a white paper, but funding is needed to complete this key part of the project. When it comes to projects of this scale, finding a funding opportunity that’s adequate and fits the objectives is always a challenge. Such opportunities tend to be highly competitive. 

The working groups pursued one such opportunity through the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, which is under the USGS, but the grant wasn’t awarded. They are also considering opportunities through the University of Wyoming’s Water Research Program. 

“I’m confident we will be successful in finding a way to do that. We just haven’t found the right financial instrument yet,” said David Waterstreet, program manager with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

Jason Alexander, a hydrologist with the USGS, is planning a series of workshops with stakeholders to participate in the data analysis, which will include identifying data gaps and data interpretation. 

“Taking a more collaborative approach in interpreting the data maintains transparency in the process and promotes a greater understanding of what the data are telling us so that more sound decisions are made,” said Carmen McIntyre, watershed coordinator with the Powell-Clarks Fork Conservation District and chair of working group three, which is studying how sediment gets into the river through its tributaries. Working group two, meanwhile, is looking at the overall sediment budget in the river. There’s quite a bit of overlap between the groups’ studies, and that requires regular coordination.

Working group 3 will also be moving toward public outreach this year, to involve landowners and producers along the river in voluntary actions they can take to help maintain the health of the Shoshone. 

Waterstreet said funding opportunities that would align well with the Willwood Dam sediment project come up regularly, and it’s just a matter of identifying them. And it might involve more than one source. 

“We just keep our eyes open for that,” Waterstreet said.