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Water is vital to Wyoming, as it is to the entire American West. Less than 10 percent of the state receives more water as precipitation than is lost back to the atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration. Most of this water surplus occurs in the mountains of Wyoming, where steep terrain and a short growing season preclude most forms of agriculture. Water affects our livelihoods and our recreational opportunities. Water issues confront and sometimes divide us on a daily basis.
This atlas has been designed to provide a single volume of information on Wyoming water resources and water hazards. By improving awareness of the opportunities and constraints on water use, an informed public, professionals in the water field, and legislators will have the information needed to make wise decisions about water into the next century. Many problems with the quantity, quality, and timing of water resources arise because of its irregular geographic distribution. Therefore, an atlas is helpful in understanding water issues.
The maps in this atlas are computer generated and use software developed at the University of Wyoming. Map making is a very ancient art, dating back to at least 5,000 B.C. Computer mapping on the other hand is a very recent innovation, one which lends itself well to the production of a series of essentially similar maps such as are found in an atlas. We hope that our maps contribute to this technology and adequately portray the water issues facing Wyoming.
The Wyoming Water Atlas was compiled by the Department of Geography at the University of Wyoming with funds provided by the Wyoming Water Development Commission through the Wyoming Water Research Center at the University of Wyoming. We wish to express our appreciation to the following state and federal agencies for support in preparing this publication, including review of the text and graphics: Wyoming Water Development Commission, Wyoming State Engineer's Office, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Emergency Management Agency, Wyoming Geological Survey, and U.S. Geological Survey. Also, thanks are accorded to the following units at the University of Wyoming: Office of the President, Wyoming Water Research Center, Cooperative Extension Service in the College of Agriculture, and Department of Geography.
Cartographic assistance was provided by Linda M. Marston, staff cartographer, Department of Geography, and Allory Deiss, Graphic Arts Service, University of Wyoming. Editorial assistance was provided by Dana Lynn Dreinhofer, University of Wyoming Publications Service; design by Carol Stevens, University of Wyoming Graphic Arts Service; and calligraphy by Sid Freeman, Laramie. Victor R. Hasfurther coordinated work between the authors, Wyoming Water Research Center, and Wyoming Water Development Commission. Special thanks to the operators, programmers, and technicians of the Division of Information Technology, University of Wyoming, especially James Kirkpatrick, and to past and present students who helped with this effort, in particular Henry Chambers, Lauri Coombs, Shuan Lien Hudson, and Cai Yunming.
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