THE IDAHO GROUNDWATER APPROPRIATERS
An Overview of OurCurrent Water SituationThe Need to Manage the Snake River Plain Aquifer
Who we are…
•IGWA members include agricultural,industrial and municipal ground waterusers across southeastern Idaho
–Farmers & dairymen
–13 cities
–Members of the 10 groundwater & irrigationdistricts
–Industrial users, food processors
•In all, IGWA represents more than 1 millionacres of agricultural land and 120,000residential and business customers
•IGWA’s mission is to represent theirinterests, including the promotion ofefficient use and economic development ofwater resources…Idaho’s Lifeblood
Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer
•Provides 97 percent of the water used byIdahoans who live on the Eastern SnakeRiver Plain:
–One third of Idaho’s population lives in theSnake River Plain region
–Consists of all or part of 20 counties
–9,000 square miles or 35% of the state
•The Aquifer itself underlies 10,000 squaremiles or 13 percent of the State of Idaho
•It holds as much water as Lake Erie
The Snake River Aquifer
Under The Surface
•90% of the aquifer is made ofbasalt lavas
The Eastern SnakeRiver Plain
•Remote sensing tools show the basaltlavas are 4,000 to 5,000 feet beneaththe surface of the Plain.
Who Uses The Aquifer?
•Municipal and domestic water wells
•Agriculture-Irrigation withgroundwater
•Agriculture-Irrigation with surfacewater that is fed by spring dischargeinto river
•Springs-Aquaculture and other uses
•Commercial and industrial uses
•Tourism
•Wildlife/environmental benefits
What Recharges Our Aquifer?
•Direct Precipitation
•Underflow from Tributary Basins
•Seepage from streams overlying the aquifer
•Leakage from canals
•Deep percolation of irrigation water
What Recharges OurAquifer?
A Complicated Issue
•It’s counter-intuitive, but more efficient useof water on the surface has caused adecline of aquifer levels since the 1950s.
–Sprinkler irrigation
–Lined ditches
–Land/field layout improvements
–the curtailing of winter water diversions
–increased spring water applications
–deep well pumping
•These practices became strongest after the1977 drought
•Recently, six years of drought added to theproblems without additional suppliesreplenishing or making recharge watermore available to the aquifer
Prior Appropriation Doctrine
•Water law in Idaho and the West isbased on a simple idea: first in time,first in right -- this means Seniorwater rights holders have priorityover Junior water rights holders
•Yet, Idaho water law stipulates thatIdaho water must be used to themaximum economic benefits
Thousand Springs Situation
•In 2005 Blue Lakes Trout Farm and Clear Foods’Springs Snake River Farm made water delivery calls.This is when a senior water right holder experiencesa shortfalls in water they are beneficially using andare entitled to receive.
•The Director of the Idaho Department of WaterResources, who administers water rights issued acurtailment order on junior water rights holders.
•These orders ended up in litigation with a rulingthat IDWR could proceed with issuing thecurtailment order.
Most Recent Actions
•On June 15, IDWR issued a curtailmentorder affecting affects 591 groundwaterrights that included approximately 16,638acres of southern Idaho farmland in Blaine,Butte, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln andMinidoka Counties
•On July 6, that order was lifted when theIGWA and the Idaho Dairymen'sAssociation, with the help of upper EasternIdaho irrigators, provided mitigation watersatisfying IDWR’s goals of supplying waterto senior water rights holders
A few recent headlines…
•‘Magic Valley farmers wrestle withuncertainty over water’
•‘Water Fight: Restraining order lifted’
•‘Water chief: Shut offs will be enforced’
•‘Deadline set in fight for groundwater’
•‘Farmers, industry brace for curtailment’
•‘Will state cut off water Friday?’
•‘Magic Valley headed for an Armageddonsummer in ’08’
•‘Water Resources director acceptsmitigation plans, cancels curtailment’
A Crisis Averted…For Now
•If the curtailment had become a reality:
–Estimated direct losses of $1,200 for every acre lost
–The direct economic damage to Idaho farmers andtheir families would have been tens of millions ofdollars
–Devastating loss for many
•Indirect impacts? No one really knows:
–Bank loan defaults
–Retail businesses
–Dairies
–Food processing plants
–Property taxes, sales taxes
•Safe for 2007…but with no solution in sight,what about 2008?
A Path Forward…
•State leaders unveiled the comprehensiveESPA Comprehensive AquiferManagement Plan Framework earlier thisyear
•It’s goal:
“To sustain the economic viability and social andenvironmental health of the Eastern Snake Plaineby adaptively managing a balance betweenwater use and supplies.”
•An advisory committee and aquifer users ofthe aquifer are working together to furtherdevelop that framework
Advisory CommitteeWorking For a Solution
•Municipalities
•Businesses
•Land Developers
•Surface Water Users
•Ground Water Users
•Springwater Users
•Hydropower
•Domestic Well OwnersEnvironmental/Conservation
•Mixed Use
•County Assessors
A simple water solution?
•We believe the Eastern Snake PlainAquifer holds the key to theresolving the water supply conflictsof the past 50 years.
•If systematically managed, itessentially becomes the largestreservoir in the West – an even morevaluable resource
Active & Adaptive
•Systematic, targeted aquifer rechargeand storage program
•An opportunistic recharge program
•Identify and implement additionalwater supply enhancement projects
•Maintain or enhance programs andpersonnel necessary to monitor andmanage supply & demand
•Revise state water bank to provideappropriate incentives and policiesfor water storage management
Water Management Objectives
•Increase predictability for water usersby managing for reliable supply
•Create alternatives to administrativecurtailment
•Manage overall demand for waterwithin the Eastern Snake River Plain
•Increase recharge to the Aquifer
•Reduce withdrawls from the aquifer
IGWA’s Underlying Principles
Maximize the beneficial use of waterresources to the fullest potential
Protect water rights and personalproperty rights
Periodic drought should not drivepermanent policy
With aquifer management, springdischarges can be sustained athistoric levels
Maximizing Beneficial Use
•No one use should be allowed tocommand entire aquifer
•Long term sustainability is possiblethrough active and adaptive aquifermanagement
•Maximizing retention of water inSnake River basin above Milner isvital
Protect Property Rights
•It is essential to honor and sustainpersonal investments of stakeholdersbased upon water rights
•All water rights are property rights,regardless of their priority, and mustbe mutually respected
•Protecting the investments of allstakeholders is vital to the health andviability of surrounding communitiesand the regional economy
Droughts are not permanent
•Periodic drought conditions shouldnot be allowed to dictate thepermanent dislocation of water-basedeconomies
•Active aquifer management cansupport all beneficial uses duringbelow-normal water years andincrease water supply certainty for allusers
Historic Spring Levels
•Spring discharges can be sustained athistoric levels
•But artificial discharge records of the1950s can never be reached again –even with the complete curtailmentof all ground water pumping
•IGWA believes spring discharges canbe stabilized at the current above-average levels
•Improvement is possible with properaquifer management
What’s Next?
•ESPA Advisory Committee will continueseeking a a long-term resolution
•Idaho Department of Water Resources willhold hearings October 10 in an effort toavert a situation like we just experiencedand have a curtailment order issued by theIDWR.
•Only as a last resort will IGWA will seek acourt-mandated resolution to protect ourprivate property water rights and keepIdaho farmer’s in business
Critical Times for Water Users
•This is one of most critical times for water users in thestate of Idaho – and we all use water
•Two different paths:
–One leads to the development of a negotiatedresolution tailored to accommodate all interests tothe maximum extent possible
–The other leads to continued contentious litigationto further define the relationship between theprinciples of the prior doctrine
•Both lead to the same place – development of acomprehensive aquifer management plan
•The question is whether we want to define our owndestiny or leave it to the courts to do so
Websites of Interest
•Idaho Water Policy Groupwww.idahowaterpolicygroup.org/index.html
For More Information
Contact
Idaho GroundwaterAppropriators,
Phone: 208-381-0294
Fax: 208-381-5272
P.O. Box 2624
1109 W. Main, Suite 300
Boise, Idaho 83701-2624
www.idahowaterpolicygroup.org