Why does Monolith Ranch cost money to maintain and operate?
The City acquired Monolith Ranch in the early 1980’s to secure and increase the City’s water supply. The City’s water rights study prepared by Fassett Consulting, LLC (Fassett, 2004) and the Laramie Water Management Plan prepared by WWC Engineering (WWC, 2006) noted that “Beginning many years ago, City officials made decisions and investments for the long-term security of a reliable water supply, most notably, the purchase of land and water rights associated with the Monolith Ranch.” In order to retain the water rights, the City must use the water for agricultural purposes, which on balance, costs more to operate than the resulting revenues from ranching. The City has formed a ranch advisory committee (RAC) to review ranch operations and propose efficiencies while maintaining water rights for future transfer to municipal use.
