Riparian Zone Studies in the Upper Green River Basin

In June 2026, Follum Hydrologic Solutions (FHS) began a multi-year investigation for the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office to better understand how irrigation water, groundwater, and streams interact within riparian areas of the Upper Green River Basin. These areas are among the most hydrologically complex landscapes in the West, where multiple water sources can support vegetation and make estimating agricultural consumptive use particularly challenging. Working with Strike Consulting Group (Lander, Wyoming) and Precision Water Resources Engineering (Loveland, Colorado), our team is combining extensive field investigations, groundwater monitoring, remote sensing, GIS analysis, and hydrologic modeling to identify how water moves through riparian systems. The project includes installation of monitoring wells, stream and diversion measurements, drone surveys, vegetation assessments, and field-scale water balance analyses. The methods developed through this project will improve understanding of riparian hydrology, support more accurate water accounting, and provide tools that can be applied to similar irrigated river systems throughout Wyoming and the western United States.