Impact On Trout And Wildlife Brought Up In Casper Council Meeting

At last night's regular city meeting, longtime attorney John Masterson addressed the Casper council with concerns about the Seminoe Pumped Storage Project, which he believes has largely flown under the radar. The proposed site is 35 miles northeast of Rawlins.

The project is designed to act as a large-scale energy storage system for intermittent power sources, like wind and solar, to increase the grid's stability throughout Wyoming and the surrounding region. Construction is expected to begin as early as 2027, with the facility entering commercial operation around 2032.

In a nutshell, the project will construct a reservoir about 1,000 feet above the Seminoe Reservoir, underground tunnels and powerhouse, and an intake outlet structure along with transmission line. See the video below for a simple explanation.

Why is Masterson concerned with something in Carbon county? Because water from the Seminoe Reservoir goes into Cortes and then the North Platte. "If you start messing around with the water that goes into the Miracle Mile as far as dissolved oxygen, turbidity, sediments, temperature, especially temperature—trout are divas, they like specific things" said Masterson. "Will it happen? I don't know, but there's a risk."

He continued, "The only disease free wild sheep herd in the state is in the Ferris-Seminoe Mountains, you're talking about a five-year construction period with construction traffic blasting, roads being closed, it could potentially interfere with wildlife viewing."

Also concerning is entrainment. When the water is pumped upwards from the lower reservoir, a hydro study estimates that 24,000 walleye will be entrained every year the project operates. "Entrained means turned into little tiny pieces of walleye because they will be chopped up in the course of being pumped up." You can see the full council meeting at the City of Casper's Youtube Page.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and conservation groups like Trout Unlimited have expressed serious concerns that the project could threaten the world-class "Miracle Mile" fishery on the North Platte River as well. See Trout Unlimited's argument and an online petition here.

Although the direct economic benefits are concentrated in the Rawlins and Carbon County area where the project is located, a more reliable energy grid can have positive ripple effects on the broader state economy, including Casper.