Wyoming
Wyoming lake’s unnerving rusty-red water persists as experts offer explanations – WyoFile
When the ice melted in late March, the striking burnt-red color returned to the fringes of the Wind River Range more pronounced than ever.
This seemingly wine-stained water didn’t reveal itself in a melted-out mine tailings pond. It filled Little Soda Lake, a roughly 50-acre former trout fishing hole perched above Pinedale, just a half mile from Fremont Lake. Now, nearly a year and a half after the once-mysterious shade of water started turning heads in Sublette County, water quality officials say they’ve gained some understanding about what’s going on.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality has ruled out harmful cyanobacteria — which have plagued Little Soda Lake — as the cause of the seldom-seen shade of water.
“The red coloration is due to a different type of algae,” said Eric Hargett, Wyoming DEQ’s water quality standards program supervisor. “Specifically, the algae is rhodomonas.”
That’s a type of nontoxic cryptophyte that’s “most likely” the cause, Hargett said. The native microorganism was found in low densities during 2024 and 2025 testing, and it’s associated with red colorations and brackish water.
“It does have the name Little Soda Lake,” Hargett said, “so it’s been known to be highly alkaline and high in salinity.”
Other Wyoming lakes have turned red as a result of cryptophyte rhodomonas blooms, he said. Hargett recalled one in the Laramie Basin that had similar characteristics to outletless Little Soda Lake, and the other lake also changed color during a period of low water.
Low water’s been a problem in the small Soda Lake watershed. Roughly 50-foot-deep Little Soda Lake’s water level fell by 6-8 feet in recent decades, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported in 2024. Nearby and larger Soda Lake dropped even more, by 15 feet. The historically warm winter and sparse snowpack Wyoming just endured will likely only exacerbate those trends.
Harmful cyanobacteria blooms are another part of the troubling water quality changes in the lake, 6 miles north of Pinedale. Little Soda Lake had its first known harmful cyanobacteria bloom in November 2024. The following May, it became the first Wyoming waterbody in 2025 listed on the state agency’s cyanobacteria monitoring website with an advisory. Its water, so far, has not tested positive for related toxins.
Non-toxic, but beware
Although the water is red, there are indications that Little Soda Lake in 2026 is not yet experiencing high densities of cyanobacteria, according to Wyoming DEQ’s harmful cyanobacteria coordinator, Rachel Eyres. Two weeks ago, staff at the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the land manager for the lake, conducted a simple “jar test” and conveyed the results.
“Typically, cyanobacteria will float to the top because they adjust their buoyancy,” Eyres said. “Other phytoplankton, such as algae, will not, and what the [Little Soda] jar test showed is that the top 99% of the water was completely clear. There was just some red organic material in the bottom of the jar.”
Later, official tests will occur. Wyoming DEQ and the Bridger-Teton will test Little Soda’s water for cyanobacteria presence and toxins monthly from July through October, Eyres said.
Little Soda Lake is essentially inaccessible right now because of a winter closure on the Soda Lake Wildlife Habitat Management Area, but that lifts on May 1. Once it does, people recreating should use caution.
Little Soda’s red color could even mask some of the telltale signs of harmful cyanobacteria, Eyres said. Those include blue-green or pea-colored water that sometimes forms in scums or mats.
“A [cyanobacteria] bloom can arise at any time, and even before we’re made aware,” Eyres said. “When in doubt, stay out. If you think it looks gross, I would definitely not swim in it and try to keep your dogs out of it.”
Officially, the environmental factors that ultimately enabled the changes in Little Soda Lake remain unknown.
DEQ’s cyanobacteria surveillance has “provided some insight into what the red bloom actually is,” Hargett said. But there’s no broader investigation into the waterbody and it’s not being assessed for a possible “impaired” listing in Wyoming’s biennial Clean Water Act compliance report.
Addressing red water?
Absent an impairment, it’s not DEQ’s role to propose how to address Little Soda Lake.
“It would need to be impaired for us to step in and do any sort of work towards improving a waterbody,” Eyres said.
Some locals have suggestions for next steps.
Joe Meyer is a Pinedale resident and retired University of Wyoming limnologist — that’s a scientist who studies inland aquatic ecosystems. He did his postdoctoral research on eutrophic, nutrient-laden lakes.
A couple years ago, Meyer hiked to Little Soda Lake and walked away with an educated guess about why it was colored like “split pea soup” at the time.
“There were cowpies along the shoreline,” Meyer said. “My first impression was that boy, there’s enough cattle in here to really load up the water with nutrients.”
The following winter, Little Soda Lake first turned red. The color returned in fall 2025, Wyoming Public Radio reported. Aerial photos of the recurrence this spring show perhaps the most stark shade of red yet.
Accumulated nutrients — phosphorus and nitrogen — from cattle feces in Little Soda Lake’s sediment and water are a possible explanation for the bloom that turned the lake red, Meyer said.
“It’s a really nutrient-stressed lake, and this cryptophyte could be a result of that,” Meyer said.
There’s no arguing with tests and data, Meyer said, and cryptophyte rhodomonas sounds like a “plausible” reason why Little Soda Lake’s turned so red. But Wyoming DEQ also can’t rule out oxidized iron or manganese as an explanation without more extensively testing the water, he said.
Those tests could also provide insight about potential underlying causes, like cattle grazing.
“I strongly suggest routine water chemistry [tests],” Meyer said. “They need to know total and dissolved nitrogen and total and dissolved phosphorus concentrations. Those are the minimum things that we’d want to know about a eutrophic lake.”
Wyoming
Hoping to draw Colorado interest, construction begins at $80M betting facility in Laramie County
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Foundation work is beginning this week on Wyoming’s next horse betting and gaming house.
The $80 million Wyoming Downs facility in Laramie County, one of two the company is investing in over the next couple of years, is poised to be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the state. The company is aiming for a spring 2027 opening.
The facility will host upwards of 600 historic horse racing machines, Wyoming’s largest TV wall, multiple dining options and more across 58,000 square feet. More land was bought for future hotel development. Commuters driving between Cheyenne and the Colorado border can see clearly from Interstate 25 the expansive development.
That placement along the travel corridor is purposeful, Wyoming Downs and 307 Horse Racing President Kyle Ridgeway said.
“I think that the targeted consumer for this is from Colorado or from the Front Range,” Ridgeway said. “I anticipate we’re going to have plenty of people from Cheyenne come down here to play and enjoy the amenities, but when you look at 600,000 people within a 30-minute drive, that’s what justifies this investment and brings all that tax revenue in from another state, which is fantastic.
“We don’t get the opportunity to do that in Wyoming very often.”
There is still plenty to offer Cheyenne residents besides the facility’s amenities. Ridgeway said in a speech to attendees at the project’s groundbreaking Tuesday, June 2, that more than 150 permanent jobs will be supported by the facility on top of the dozens supported by the companies’ corporate offices and the 400-plus involved in the project’s construction.
Groathouse Construction, a Wyoming business, is the project’s general contractor. Wyoming Downs said it believes putting the project in local hands also helps keep the project uniquely Wyoming-focused.
Ridgeway added the facilities have already proven themselves to be effective tax revenue generators for the local governments. The Wyoming Gaming Commission’s 2025 report, released in late May, shows bettors wagered $2.49 billion on historic horse racing machines last year, a jump from the $2.11 billion wagered in 2024.
Wyoming Downs facilities generate roughly $25 million in taxes annually across the state, and Ridgeway estimated after the ceremony that the upcoming $80 million facility alone will generate an additional $3 million for Laramie County once the property has been in operation for a few years.
Horse betting sites have been increasingly popping up across Wyoming this decade. The Wyoming Downs location will be Cheyenne’s second large-scale horse betting facility since 2024, when the 30,000-square-foot Horse Palace at Swan Ranch opened. Ridgeway said Wyoming Downs is still offering something fresh for tourists and residents.
“This’ll have amenities that Swan Ranch doesn’t have, including the largest TV wall in Wyoming and a pretty super-cool sports viewing area with a restaurant and just a level of finish and class that I don’t think Wyoming has quite seen yet with these types of properties,” he said.
Ridgeway said he thinks resident fatigue with these facilities isn’t as strong as it appears, especially given the tourism benefits of off-track betting.
“Wyoming’s been built on mineral extraction and tourism, and what this is is a touristic facility. I’m not aware of any particular pushback about this specific facility outside of — you see random social media comments where people say, ‘Oh, another gambling facility.’ But where this is located, I think people in Cheyenne have generally been supportive of,” he said.
The Laramie County facility will be just one part of a larger project Wyoming Downs is working on over the next few years. Construction will begin in early 2027 on a similar facility in Evanston looking to draw in Utah and western Colorado crowds.
Some of the company’s current facilities, notably in Casper, Cheyenne and Rock Springs, will see millions poured into renovations as well. New smaller-scale parlors will also go up in Gillette and Green River this year, according to an information packet provided by the company.
More details will come as the construction process develops, Ridgeway said. Details about amenities, such as what the complex’s dining options will look like, remain undisclosed, though Ridgeway promised that options will be “excellent.”
“We haven’t made final selections on what the options are, but we have a number of different options on the table that we’re considering for what we want to offer for the customers,” Ridgeway said. “You have to have something that’s high quality for where this is located. If somebody’s going to drive 25 or 35, or even 45 minutes to come here, they got to be able to sit down and have a quality meal.”
For more information as it becomes available and to learn more about Wyoming Downs facilities and 307 Horse Racing‘s events and offerings, see the companies’ websites. Renderings for the upcoming Cheyenne facility commissioned by the company are available for viewing below.
Related
GILLETTE, Wyo. — Two of the Republican candidates for Wyoming governor, Megan Degenfelder and Brent Bien, went head to head in Campbell County this evening. They both highlighted differences in some areas but agreed on energy, public lands, government oversight, abortion and election security.
Degenfelder, Wyoming’s superintendent of public instruction, introduced herself as “a Wyoming ranch kid whose parents clawed their way into the middle class” and said she believes Wyoming is “worth fighting for” because she believes the Wyoming people’s lives are at stake.
Bien, a retired Marine Corps colonel and combat veteran, pointed to his military career and leadership experience.
“My whole adult life has been about leadership, about principled conservative leadership,” he said. “My objective is to restore principled conservative leadership, accountability and discipline to Cheyenne.”
Nuclear energy
Both candidates supported Wyoming’s role in energy production but opposed bringing outside nuclear waste into the state.
“I do not want Wyoming to be … the permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel. I will not allow that to happen on my watch,” Bien said.
Degenfelder said Wyoming should consider nuclear power as part of its energy future but added, “If it works for us to be able to have nuclear as part of the portfolio, then it has to be right for Wyoming and that is ensuring that we do not accept anyone else’s waste, period.”
Public lands
The candidates also opposed privatization of public lands.
“No one loves public lands more than I do,” Degenfelder said. “You start selling that to the highest bidder, Wyoming loses who we are.”
Bien said he is “absolutely opposed” to federal lands being sold to private interests.
“If they do decide to dispose of it, then we as the state of Wyoming should get first-right refusal at no cost,” he said.
Attorney general and judicial appointments
When asked what each would be looking for in an attorney general and judicial appointment, both candidates called for conservative leadership.
Bien said he would seek an attorney general from outside state government.
“I want a clean set of eyes to look at what everything’s been that’s been going on,” he said. “I want someone who will put people first and it will put Wyoming first.”
Degenfelder said she wants stronger advocacy from state agencies.
“I want a bulldog in not just the attorney general’s office, but in all state agencies,” she said. “I want an attorney general that is so aligned to my mission and vision and what I believe that there’s an amicus brief on my desk the next morning after an action takes place.”
Immigration
Both candidates supported stronger immigration enforcement.
Bien explained he wanted to cooperate with ICE “to the fullest extent possible” and to make sure immigrants who are not in the United States legally would be sent out of the state.
Degenfelder said illegal immigration is already affecting communities in Wyoming.
“If you’re here legally, you got nothing to worry about. If you aren’t, it’s time to go home,” she said.
Energy development and green energy
Energy policy generated some of the sharpest comments of the night.
Degenfelder argued renewable energy projects should compete without government support.
“I’m also an economist and so I’ll tell you the way that you kill these green energy, you make them play on the same playing field,” she said. “No more tax subsidies, no more handouts, ensuring the regulatory environment is just as equal.”
Bien took a firmer stance against renewable development.
“Folks, there’s no place in Wyoming for this green energy,” he said. “I want these things bonded up front and where we’re not paying for these like we did all the gas wells. The answer for me is absolutely, unequivocally no.”
Economic development
Degenfelder argued government should focus on infrastructure such as water and sewer systems rather than directing economic development.
“Government does not create jobs. Private business does,” she said.
Bien echoed that sentiment.
“The only business that government has in business is simply to get out of the way. It’s to cut taxes. It’s to deregulate,” he said. “Right now, we’re turning into state capitalism where we have our own state government picking winners and losers.”
Government audits
Both candidates supported increased auditing of state government.
“This state has not done a full-blown budgetary audit since 1989,” Bien said. “Whoever’s belly-aching loudest is going to get audited first.”
Degenfelder agreed.
“We should be auditing every single state agency, every single budget line all the time,” she said. “Government is a beast, and you need someone in there who can tame it and who knows how to do it.”
Abortion
Abortion was another topic where both candidates expressed strong opposition.
“Life starts at conception and there are no exceptions,” Degenfelder said. “We are now one of the most openly abortion states in the country because of that ruling by the Supreme Court. We’re working against the devil here.”
Bien also opposed abortion.
“Folks, for me, there are no exceptions. Life does begin at conception,” he said.
Election integrity
Bien advocated for hand-counting ballots.
“I am very much a proponent of hand tabulation being the primary method of counting all cast paper ballots and I will push that way,” he said.
Degenfelder called for paper ballots statewide.
“Every single ballot should be a paper ballot,” she said, adding that she supports “banning dropboxes.”
Republican platform
Both candidates pledged support for the Wyoming Republican Party platform.
“80% is a no-brainer, and we need to require that out of our elected officials,” Degenfelder said.
Bien said he expects to be held to “100%” of the platform.
“The party’s been co-opted. You have to have an ‘R’ behind your name to win in this state,” he said.
Candidate priorities
During a segment where candidates selected their own discussion topics, Degenfelder highlighted school choice, career and technical education, removing pornography from school libraries and protecting Wyoming’s water rights.
Bien focused on education and agriculture, criticizing student proficiency rates and proposing policies aimed at strengthening Wyoming’s agricultural industry, including declaring agriculture critical infrastructure and reducing regulations on small butcheries.
Technology and education
Although technology and its place within education was not discussed during the debate, County 17 asked both Degenfelder and Bien their thoughts regarding student technology in schools.
Bien said technology is being used too much in classrooms and is making it harder for students to think on their own.
“What it’s doing is it’s dumbing down our kids,” Bien said. “Our kids aren’t learning how to critically think anymore. They go straight to one of the AI things and it generates an answer for them.”
Degenfelder said she backed a bill to ban cellphones during instruction time.
“I supported a bill that came through the legislature a couple of years ago that actually would ban cell use during instructional time, and I stand by that,” Degenfelder said. “I think that it’s appropriate to take cellphones out of classrooms, and what we find is that kids thrive.”
Closing statements
In closing remarks, Bien emphasized his experience as an outsider candidate.
“I am the only outsider in this race, but I am the only one who’s got an inordinate amount of leadership experience,” he said. “Folks, you deserve a government that you can trust.”
Degenfelder pointed to her endorsements from President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman.
“I get asked a lot, ‘How did you get the Trump endorsement?’” Degenfelder said. “The answer is really simple. I earned it.”
Alongside other candidates, Bien and Degenfelder will be competing for support in Wyoming’s Republican gubernatorial primary Aug. 18.
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