Governor Mark Gordon has officially declared a State of Emergency for Goshen County due to the collapse of an irrigation tunnel along the Fort Laramie-Gering canal.

In a press release issued Monday evening by the governor’s office, Gordon pledged to deploy state resources to Goshen County “in an effort to provide assistance to farmers affected by a catastrophic irrigation tunnel collapse in Goshen County.” 

“The Governor signed an Executive Order for a Declaration of Emergency today, allowing him to deploy state resources to Goshen County as needed,” the release said. “The collapse occurred early in the morning of July 17 along the Fort Laramie-Gering irrigation canal west of Lingle and caused a large breach of the canal wall. The disaster inundated farmland near the breach and has left more than 100,000 acres of cropland in Wyoming and Nebraska without water during a critical period for growers.”

Gordon visited the site on Friday, along with representative from several local and state agencies.

“The Governor and members of the executive branch met Monday morning to analyze ways to provide state support to Goshen County and the Goshen Irrigation District,” the release said. “The Governor’s office is assembling resources to engage federal partners and is working with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security and the State Engineer’s Office to explore potential options for resources and assistance.”

Representatives from the state and the Governor’s office will be in attendance during a stakeholder’s meeting Wednesday, at 2 p.m. in the Eastern Wyoming College Auditorium.

“The meeting is open to the public and will include a discussion of the collapse and a possible timeline for repairs to the tunnel and ditch,” the release said.