# Wyoming SF 70: AN ACT relating to water development projects; authorizing construction of designated water projects; describing projects; specifying terms and conditions of funding for projects; providing grants; providing loans; providing appropriations; amending amounts and terms of appropriations for specified prior projects; transferring funds from water development account I to water development account II; transferring a project; requiring studies; requiring a report; and providing for an effective date. Wyoming SF 70, AN ACT relating to water development projects; authorizing construction of designated water projects; describing projects; specifying terms and conditions of funding for projects; providing grants; providing loans; providing appropriations; amending amounts and terms of appropriations for specified prior projects; transferring funds from water development account I to water development account II; transferring a project; requiring studies; requiring a report; and providing for an effective date., is a 2026 Budget Session Senate bill sponsored by null Water; status signed, last action 2026-03-06 (Assigned Chapter Number 73) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WY-SF70-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Wyoming SF 70 - State: Wyoming - Session: 2026 Budget Session - Title: AN ACT relating to water development projects; authorizing construction of designated water projects; describing projects; specifying terms and conditions of funding for projects; providing grants; providing loans; providing appropriations; amending amounts and terms of appropriations for specified prior projects; transferring funds from water development account I to water development account II; transferring a project; requiring studies; requiring a report; and providing for an effective date. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-03 - Last action: 2026-03-06, Assigned Chapter Number 73 - Sponsor: null Water - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 10 (230 yes, 66 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 13 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Hoback water project gets larger funding: benefit, low. The law increases the Hoback Junction Public Water System project budget to $2.497 million. Its state grant is capped at $1.2485 million or 50% of actual eligible costs, whichever is less. Funding covers design, permits, land purchases, pre-construction engineering, and construction. The funding cl… - Irrigation repairs get longer funding deadlines: benefit, low. Three existing irrigation and reservoir appropriations now remain available until July 1, 2028, instead of July 1, 2026. They include $374,000 for Austin-Wall Reservoir Rehabilitation 2019 and $420,000 for Interstate Diversion Structure Rehabilitation 2019. Interstate Irrigation and Reservoir Irrig… - Small water projects get capped grants: benefit, low. Eligible public entities can receive grants from $1 million for new small water projects and $500,000 for repairs or replacement. Each grant covers no more than $35,000 or 50% of eligible design, permit, land, engineering, and construction costs. Sponsors must show public benefit and obtain land- o… - Alkali Creek funds last longer with safeguards: benefit, low. Alkali Creek Reservoir's $59 million appropriation remains available until July 1, 2027, instead of July 1, 2026. Unspent money then returns to Water Development Account III. Beginning January 1, 2027, the commission and other project entities cannot use this appropriation to take private property… - Communities get longer water funding deadlines: benefit, low. The law extends deadlines for using five existing water-project appropriations, previously set to return unspent funds July 1, 2026. Arapahoe Pipeline and Tank's $2.42 million and Broken Wheel Ranch Water Supply's $913,050 now remain available until July 1, 2027. Ethete Water Supply's $2 million an… - Small water decisions face less review: cost, low. Covered small water projects are exempt from Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act rules, including the specified court-review provisions. The exemption covers commission criteria, procedures, recommendations, ranking, and disqualification decisions. Sponsors and affected parties have fewer ways to… - Battle Lake aid requires matching money: mixed, low. Battle Lake sponsors get a grant capped at $1.092 million or 50% of actual costs for forest and lake-outlet work. The conservation and water conservancy districts must raise half the $2.184 million budget elsewhere; unspent grant funds return July 1, 2031. The Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Statio… - Cloud seeding requires full outside funding: mixed, low. The law authorizes ground-based cloud seeding in the Wind River and Sierra Madre ranges for the 2026–2027 winter. The project budget is $891,429. Before operations start, the Wyoming Water Development Office must secure outside commitments covering at least 100% of actual operating costs. Those com… - Douglas can acquire well with repayment: mixed, low. The water commission can transfer the Sheep Mountain No. 2 test well to Douglas. It must find the transfer serves the public interest and that Douglas can build, operate, and maintain the project. Douglas must agree to reimburse at least $610,838 in earlier development costs and pay for property. T… - Irrigation districts get grants and repayable loans: mixed, low. Big Horn Canal's Five Mile Pipeline gets a grant and loan, each capped at $2.2723 million or 50% of actual costs. Cody Canal's Lead Diversion gets a grant capped at $2.221 million or 50%, plus a loan capped at $2.102 million or 47.3%; its sponsor must raise 2.7% of the total budget elsewhere. Powde… - Irrigation planning aid includes local costs: mixed, low. Sidon Irrigation District gets a Byron Lateral planning grant capped at $209,000 or 50% of actual costs, whichever is less. Sidon must raise half its total budget elsewhere; funding requires an account transfer or another funding source. Tillard Canal planning gets a grant capped at $54,825 or 75%,… - State shifts money between water accounts: mixed, low. The water commission can transfer $16.225 million from Water Development Account I to Account II to support project funding. This increases Account II's resources while reducing Account I's resources. Beginning July 1, 2026, the commission can transfer $225,000 back to Account I. That return transf… - Water grants require local matching money: mixed, low. The law funds local water projects, with each grant capped at 50% of actual eligible costs. Maximum grants are $210,000 for Alpine, $2.5595 million for Gillette, and $370,000 for LaGrange. Cowley gets up to $182,000 for pipeline design and pre-construction. Riverton gets up to $2.8475 million for i… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: null Water ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-04 | Senate | S Concur:Passed 21-10-0-0-0 | pass | 21 | 10 | | | 2026-03-03 | House | H 3rd Reading:Passed 59-1-2-0-0 | pass | 59 | 1 | | | 2026-03-03 | House | Amendment adopted 60-0-2-0-0 | pass | 60 | 0 | | | 2026-03-02 | House | Amendment failed 7-51-4-0-0 | fail | 7 | 51 | | | 2026-02-25 | House | H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 7-0-0-0-0 | pass | 7 | 0 | | | 2026-02-24 | House | H05 - Agriculture:Recommend Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0 | pass | 9 | 0 | | | 2026-02-18 | Senate | S 3rd Reading:Passed 26-4-1-0-0 | pass | 26 | 4 | | | 2026-02-12 | Senate | S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0 | pass | 5 | 0 | | | 2026-02-10 | Senate | S05 - Agriculture:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0 | pass | 5 | 0 | | | 2026-02-09 | House | S Introduced and Referred to S05 - Agriculture 31-0-0-0-0 | pass | 31 | 0 | | ## Actions (27) - 2026-03-06: Assigned Chapter Number 73 - 2026-03-06: Governor Signed SEA No. 0042 (Governor) - 2026-03-04: H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0042 (House) - 2026-03-04: S President Signed SEA No. 0042 (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Assigned Number SEA No. 0042 - 2026-03-04: S Concur:Passed 21-10-0-0-0 (Senate) - 2026-03-03: S Received for Concurrence (Senate) - 2026-03-03: H 3rd Reading:Passed 59-1-2-0-0 (House) - 2026-03-02: H 2nd Reading:Passed (House) - 2026-02-27: H COW:Passed (House) - 2026-02-25: H Placed on General File (House) - 2026-02-25: H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 7-0-0-0-0 (House) - 2026-02-24: H COW:Rerefer to H02 - Appropriations (House) - 2026-02-24: H Placed on General File (House) - 2026-02-24: H05 - Agriculture:Recommend Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0 (House) - 2026-02-19: H Introduced and Referred to H05 - Agriculture (House) - 2026-02-18: H Received for Introduction (House) - 2026-02-18: S 3rd Reading:Passed 26-4-1-0-0 (Senate) - 2026-02-17: S 2nd Reading:Passed (Senate) - 2026-02-16: S COW:Passed (Senate) - 2026-02-12: S Placed on General File (Senate) - 2026-02-12: S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0 (Senate) - 2026-02-10: :Rerefer to S02 - Appropriations (Senate) - 2026-02-10: S05 - Agriculture:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0 (Senate) - 2026-02-09: S Introduced and Referred to S05 - Agriculture 31-0-0-0-0 (Senate) - 2026-02-05: S Received for Introduction (Senate) - 2026-02-03: Bill Number Assigned ## Bill text - Engrossed: [PDF](https://wyoleg.gov/2026/Engross/SF0070.pdf) - Enrolled: [PDF](https://wyoleg.gov/2026/Enroll/SF0070.pdf) - Introduced: [PDF](https://wyoleg.gov/2026/Introduced/SF0070.pdf) ## Related bills - HB 178: AN ACT relating to labor and employment; prohibiting public employers and specified organizations from automatic deductions of dues and uniform assessments as… (vetoed) - SF 101: AN ACT relating to the protection of constitutional rights; amending the Second Amendment Protection Act as specified; creating exceptions to the Second Amendm… (vetoed) - SF 81: AN ACT relating to K-12 public school finance; implementing the 2025 cost of education study as modified by the legislature; modifying the education resource b… (became law) - SF 1: AN ACT to make appropriations for the fiscal biennium commencing July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2028; providing definitions; providing for appropriations and… (signed) - SF 66: AN ACT relating to game and fish; authorizing persons with life threatening illnesses and persons who are vision-impaired to receive donated hunting licenses a… (signed) - SF 61: AN ACT relating to taxation and revenue; providing a sales tax and use tax exemption to the purchase or transfer of a motor vehicle to family members as specif… (signed) ## Sources - [Engrossed (PDF)](https://wyoleg.gov/2026/Engross/SF0070.pdf) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://wyoleg.gov/2026/Enroll/SF0070.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://wyoleg.gov/2026/Introduced/SF0070.pdf) ## Related - [HB 178: AN ACT relating to labor and employment; prohibiting public employers and speci…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WY-HB178-2026) - [SF 101: AN ACT relating to the protection of constitutional rights; amending the Second…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WY-SF101-2026) - [SF 81: AN ACT relating to K-12 public school finance; implementing the 2025 cost of ed…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WY-SF81-2026) - [SF 1: AN ACT to make appropriations for the fiscal biennium commencing July 1, 2026 a…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WY-SF1-2026) - [SF 66: AN ACT relating to game and fish; authorizing persons with life threatening ill…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WY-SF66-2026) - [SF 61: AN ACT relating to taxation and revenue; providing a sales tax and use tax exem…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WY-SF61-2026) - [Wyoming bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/wyoming/bills) - [Wyoming state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/wyoming) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WY-SF70-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).