The City of Laramie Natural Resources Department has concluded the Level 2 study of the Dowlin Ditch Rehabilitation and Fish Passage. This study examines planning and feasibility and is essential for the construction application required by the Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC).

The Dowlin Ditch Rehabilitation Project kicked off in May 2022, and on July 18, 2023, Laramie City Council received the resolution for the Rehabilitation Study. The purpose of these types of studies, and the Dowlin Ditch Rehabilitation project overall, is to control and maintain efficient water flow for irrigation, fish passage, safety, and operations.

“Right now, City employees have to walk through a foot of water at the Dowlin Ditch site when we get rainfall like we did this year,” says Natural Resources Program Administrator, Jay Smith.

 “This project will improve safety for employees visiting the site.”

Dowlin Ditch is currently considered a complete barrier to fish passage through the watershed, meaning fish cannot move upstream during most, or all, flows. The City of Laramie is conducting the Dowlin Ditch Rehabilitation and Fish Passage Project thanks to 100% funding from the WWDC. This funding assists with fish passage while maintaining the City’s current primary objective of providing irrigation from the Dowlin Ditch.

“This project is essential for Laramie’s drinking water, fish habitat, and municipal use. The Dowlin Ditch is extremely important for Laramie’s growth and development. The long-term effects of this project will eventually fulfill the goal of securing Laramie’s municipal water for the future,” says Smith.

The main goals of the project include irrigation to City-owned ranches, fish passage, public access and aesthetic, wetland preservation, floater passage, and the long-term goal of water rights transfer to municipal use. This project could allow Laramie to double in size based on current water use in the next two decades.

Now that the planning and feasibility studies have concluded, the next step for the Dowlin Ditch Rehabilitation and Fish Passage Project is to move forward with Level 3 of the project, which includes submitting an application for construction at the project site to the WWDC. Laramie residents can view project documents and updates on the city website at https://www.cityoflaramie.org/1235/.