Wyoming Framework Water Plan - Living Rivers Home Page

8.0 OPPORTUNITIES
Table 8-15 Remaining Allocation of Available Flow per
Yellowstone River Compact
Hydrologic
Condition
Tongue River Basin
Conservative
Estimate
Liberal
Estimate
ac-ft
Powder River
Basin
Wet Years 163,000 189,000 211,500
Normal Years 90,000 117,000 131,100
Dry Years 40,000 67,000 74,300
8.7.3 Agricultural Needs
Almost every tributary area of the Powder/Tongue Basin planning area can be considered watershort
during dry years. The needs identified in the Basin Plan involved existing agricultural shortages.
Consequently, the opportunities are primarily focused on meeting those needs. The projected diversions
and consumptive use for high, mid, and low planning scenarios are presented in Tables 6-2 and 6-3 in
Chapter 6.
Table 8-16 indicates estimates of existing agricultural needs for the subbasins in dry years. The
irrigated acres within those subbasins are also indicated.
Table 8-16 Agricultural Needs, Powder/Tongue River Basin
Irrigated Lands
Needs for Dry
Hydrologic
Condition
Subbasin acres ac-ft per year
Little Bighorn 1,781 3,100
Tongue River 62,760 113,600
Upper Clear Creek 39,176 78,400
Lower Clear Creek (Powder River) 7,174 14,700
Upper Crazy Woman Creek 12,324 15,200
Lower Crazy Woman Creek 1,418 4,000
Upper Powder River 18,107 39,900
South Fork Powder River 2,103 4,000
Lower Powder River 6,440 21,100
Little Powder River 9,873 27,600
8-35