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Glen Canyon Dam, which impounds Lake Powell, seen at night.
The View From the Upper Basin: Wyoming's Pat Tyrrell on the DCP
T
he states of the upper Colorado River basin—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—have longstanding agreements among themselves to curtail Colorado River water use in situations of need. However, because there are thousands of upper basin water users, in contrast to the relatively small number of water contractors and rights holders in the lower basin, this is no simple task. As a consequence, upper basin states like Wyoming have a strong use in protecting the overall resilience of the Colorado River system so as to avoid the need to curtail use. In this interview, Pat Tyrrell, Wyoming’s recently retired state engineer, speaks with Municipal Water Leader Managing Editor Joshua Dill about various aspects of the DCP. Joshua Dill: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your position as state engineer.
16 | MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER
Joshua Dill: Would you give a basic overview of why the DCP is needed? Pat Tyrrell: We have developed demands on the river that are larger than current runoff and what years of evaluation have revealed is the river’s supply. In particular, while none of the upper basin states has fully used its apportionment under the 1922 and 1948 compacts, we do know that there is a structural imbalance in the lower basin where demand exceeds supply by about 1.2 million acre-feet a year on average. That, coupled with drought, is the reason
PHOTO COURTESY OF BUREAU OF RECLAMATION.
Pat Tyrrell: I started out with two engineering degrees from the University of Wyoming, the second one being a master’s in civil engineering with an emphasis on water resources. Upon receiving that, I went to work for a Western water– focused consulting business in Laramie for about 8 years. I then moved to Minnesota for 2 years to see more of the world and worked for a consulting firm there. I then moved back to Wyoming and worked in regulatory affairs for the Black Thunder coal mine for a little over 4 years. After that, I returned to consulting here in Cheyenne. I applied for
and was appointed to the position of state engineer in early 2001 and continued in that position until April 1, 2019. As state engineer, I was Wyoming’s compact commissioner on three interstate compact commissions—the Upper Colorado River Commission, the Yellowstone River Commission, and the Bear River Commission. I also represented Wyoming on the North Platte Decree Committee. I represented Wyoming on the Western States Water Council and Colorado River Salinity Control Forum and its advisory council. I held, and continue to hold, two positions related to the Colorado River: In addition to being commissioner on the Upper Colorado River Commission, I was also named, first by Governor Freudenthal, the Wyoming governor’s representative to the seven basin states.
