WY SF0118

Legislature must specify whether eminent domain may be used when appropriating funds from state water development accounts I through III for any water project, following Water Development Commission recommendation

If eminent domain need is discovered after funds are appropriated, the project sponsor and Water Development Commission must notify the legislature, and appropriated funds cannot be spent until the legislature authorizes eminent domain use in a subsequent session

Amends approximately 18 existing statutes governing water companies, municipalities, irrigation districts, sanitary districts, drainage districts, and water supply districts to make their eminent domain authority subject to the new legislative approval requirement

Railroad companies acquiring water rights by aqueduct and the United States acquiring land for federal purposes (including reclamation projects like Boysen Dam) are explicitly exempted from the new legislative approval requirement

Applies to all projects initiated on or after July 1, 2026, with an effective date of July 1, 2026