Idaho Water: History, Players, Conflicts, and Potential Shutdowns
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It’s probably long overdue to start a discussion on Idaho water issues. Concerns over Idaho water have prevalent my entire life in Idaho, and it’s not something many people understand completely. We barely dodged a widespread water shutdown here in the upper Snake River valley today, but future shutdowns are possible and probable if solutions are not found.
Growing up, I recall hearing many concerns about Idaho water being forced to pass down to California. Was that a political ploy for votes in certain elections, or was that a realistic threat to Idaho’s water? We never hear about that issue anymore, did something happen to protect Idaho water resources, or was the threat really never credible?
The big deal with Idaho water resources appears to be the conflict over senior and junior rights, or water claims. Folks who filed water claims with Idaho first are said to have senior rights. Folks who filed water claims with the state after those senior rights holders are said to have junior rights. When droughts occur, or water is being used by too many people and cities, then the senior water rights holders are supposed to be able to invoke their rights, and cause the junior rights holders to not be able to use as much or any water (in theoretical extreme cases). Have any junior rights holders really ever been restricted though?
For some reason in Idaho, most of the senior water rights holders are in the Magic Valley (central Idaho in the Twin Falls region), and junior water rights holders are in our upper Snake River Valley region. Why is that?
The latest conflict has one aspect that really interests me. I keep reading that seven Magic Valley farmers petitioned the Idaho Department of Water Resources for much more water to come their way. The director Karl Dreher asked the seven farmers to simply demonstrate how they were being hurt by the lack of water. Instead of showing how they were being damaged, they sued the state!
This action looks bad on the part of those Magic Valley farmers. If the truth was on their side, why didn’t they just show their damages? Does anyone know these seven farmers? Are they traditional, family-owned farmers or are they large corporate farm operations? I think that distinction makes a difference.
I heard that if water curtailments were issued throughout our region, Idaho Falls would have probably started with enforcing days where homeowners could not water their lawns. Anyone have knowledge of what the detailed water-cutback plans would look like?
The Idaho water conflict is not likely completely solved with this latest agreement. What are the long-term sticking points in this issue? What are some suggestions for long-term solutions?
What do you think?
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Comments
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0 
0 is it illegal to shut off someone else’s water? if i walk around my streets at night and shut off peoples outside running sprinklers am i gonna get a ticket
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0 0 Probably not, but you might just get shot at by tresspassing on somebody’s property. I’m sure you have good intentions, but thats taking your life in your hands. Literally!
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0 0 What about the issue last year where we had extra runoff water, and the Idaho Power utility strongarmed their share?
We had the chance to recharge the aquifer and possibly could have avoided the mess this year.
Was it the legislature or the idaho department of water resources that made that final decision?
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0 0 How much do water meters cost to install? Why don’t Idaho Falls residents have them?
Then again, do any southeast Idaho city residents have water meters?
Do any Magic Valley urban residents (namely Twin Falls) have water meters?
I think installing those would encourage conservation and lessen the pressure on this sensitive issue.
However, I don’t want to see Idaho Falls residents suckered into metered water if no other cities do the same.
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0 0 sounds like a few greedy magic valley farmers are the real problem
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0 0 Sugar City, St. Anthony and Rexburg — at least — all have metered water. If my recollections are correct, the meters cost in the neighborhood of about $80 to install per hookup (that price was from a few years ago, so it’s probably gone up). We also pay to meter out the sewage. So we pay going in and going out.
I live in Sugar, and play conservatively when it comes to water use, because it costs us. With bare minimum lawn watering and watering to keep the garden alive, we can spend about $70 a month during the summer on water. I know a lot of people in town who cut back on their water use to avoid the cost, so water metering does work as a conservation method.
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0 0 I’d like to know how many of those “senior” water claims in Magic Valley are being invoked by the actual person who first filed the claim wayback when, and how many have been resold or passed on as farms have been sold or transferred?
I suspect these senior water claims are treated like liquor licenses, where the state’s property is somehow being sold privately.
If this is the case, I think water claims die when the stakeholder ceases to exercise the water rights themselves.
This is the state’s resource, owned by the people, not corporate farming conglomerates.
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0 0 So the upper valley shutdown orders didn’t come about. However now we read about shutdown orders hitting the Magic Valley.
Before, it appeared the upper Snake River valley was going to get curtailment/shutdown orders because a few Magic Valley farmers complained about not getting enough water.
Now, it appears Magic Valley farmers are getting curtailment/shut down orders because two fish farms are complaining about not getting enough water.
It seems the Magic Valley farmers have had the tables turned on them now.
It’s bewildering why the upper valley would be targeted for curtailment with the previous issue, but not with the current.
Not that I’m complaining that we’re not in their sights anymore, but I don’t understand why the Magic Valley area was targeted this time but not last?
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0 0 So you’ve probably heard about the Micron layoffs in Boise. Apparently they laid off almost 10% of their workforce?
Rumors are that Micron actually plans to almost completely close down their Idaho operations, but they are waiting 6-12 months so the executives can sell their homes and holdings without the market glutting and losing value.
The water aspect to this is that Micron uses a significant amount of Idaho water, so if they close down the water fights should tone down.
What do you think? What have you heard?
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0 0 New developments in our water saga all the time.
Today the PR reports our city spent $300k to secure more water rights. The report has some strange numbers, indicating cities were told they could lose 46k-acre-feet of water, but that they eventually sent almost 500k? I guess the 46k was per city?
For our nearly 1/3 million bucks we get 1,000 acre-feet of water. The article said this water was not needed right now, but would probably be used to send downstream next year if Magic Valley farmers demanded it again.
So we essentially just bought a $300,000 gift for the Magic Valley. It’s only a matter of time until we give it to them.
A city councilman indicated IF is not looking at installing residential water meters.
What do you think?
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0 0 Sucks to be Falls Water customers. The PR reported Falls Water wants to increase their customer rates a whopping 42%, and raise other rates also, like connection fees.
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0 0 I would rather havbe metering than a 42% price increase. The city shouldn’t be able to raise prices that much. They can’t raise taxes that much each year, by law. Why should this be any different. Or perhaps they are trying to get more momentum for metering?
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0 0 Falls Water is almost entirely metered (residential- don’t know about commercial).
Falls water has played a sneaky game with your water bill over the years. They had a base rate that allowed so many gallons of water. Overages were charged accordingly, on an escalating scale. Because they were not allowed by the PUC to increase your base water rates, they then lowered the amount of water your base rate paid for. Clever huh? I suspect they will do the same if the PUC denies their latest request.
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0 0 Is there anything that Falls Water customers can do to fight this increase?
Will the PUC really listen to customers?
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0 0 Who owns Falls water?
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0 0 The evil capitalist Rockwell Development Corporation 
bought them out this last spring.
Why do you ask?
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0 0 Great piece on NPR about ways we can make the most of what water we get
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17977057
I am tempted to do a bowl shaped backyard.
A plant like this would be a great way to get water back into the aquifers
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18409513
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whew, slow day, time to all start commenting again!
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I think that monitoring water use should be routine. I have neighbors that leave their water on all night long. This lazy practice causes problems for all of us….and will cost us all more down the line in shortages of food and water, and only increase the price of goods and services.
I am not sure what water rates are like in county areas; however, some lawns around here are several acres or more….if the users don’t have to pay for water then we are all going to have to pay for Mr. Fat Cat having a huge lawn…kind of like Frank Vandersloot’s huge lawn?!
No Free Rides On Water and it’s about time everybody paid their own fair share.