Wyoming Public Radio
Alan Kirkbride on the bank of Horse Creek. He s worried that proposed wells into the groundwater could drain this creek he relies on for ranching.
Driving east out of Cheyenne, a lot of people probably think there s nothing but cornfields and oil wells. But if you climb in an ATV with rancher Alan Kirkbride, he ll show you a secret world where his ancestors have raised cattle since the late 1800s.
We climb out on the bank of Horse Creek where thick willows grow under high white cliffs. Kirkbride says little creeks like this seep up from groundwater that s essential for growing grass for his herd. He says climate change has made disputes over even small water sources like this a rougher sport.
Reba Epler
Local ranchers are concerned that the high capacity wells could drain Little Horse Creek, one of the last flowing creeks in the area.
A controversial water dispute in Laramie County that got held up last year because of the pandemic will see its day in court June 9-11 in Cheyenne.
17 ranch families are pushing back on a permit application by three members of the Lerwick family to drill eight high-pressure wells north of Cheyenne. These wells would appropriate 1.6 billion gallons of ground water from the Ogallala Aquifer, a water source that s already gone dry in several other Western states.