BOISE, Idaho — A water curtailment order that shuts off water to some ground water districts in Eastern Idaho could soon be lifted after a mitigation agreement was reached on Wednesday.
Idaho Ground Water Appropriators (IGWA) said in a Wednesday email the mitigation agreement would save the 330,000 acres of Idaho farmland which would have dried up due to the water curtailment order announced in May. Through the agreement, nine ground water districts that utilize the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA) will be able to irrigate their crops.
Governor Brad Little and Lt. Governor Scott Bedke brokered the mitigation agreement and it was sent to the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) for approval.
"This is a huge relief to our members, who have had their livelihoods threatened over the past month," said TJ Budge, attorney for Idaho Ground Water Appropriators in the news release. "We want to thank Governor Little, Lt. Governor Bedke, Senator Van Burtenshaw and, especially, all of our groundwater district members for their sincere and significant efforts to get a deal done before it was too late."
As previously reported, the water curtailment was implemented on May 30, 2024, because several districts failed to comply with approved mitigation plans to address the status of 74,100 acre-feet of water to senior surface water users, according to state officials.
This comes down to ground water and surface water. There is a longstanding conflict between surface water users, who tend to have more senior water rights, and groundwater users with more junior rights.
The major conflict is over rights to the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer.
The IGWA stated on Wednesday, the new mitigation agreement does not fix the "underlying issues with the way Idaho is managing the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer." And farmers are putting trust in the state, so officials need to make a plan for next season.
"We have learned that the way the Idaho Department of Water Resources currently goes about managing the ESPA is not working," said IGWA chairwoman Stephanie Mickelsen. "Without meaningful change to how water resources are managed over the coming months, we will find ourselves right back in this same position and all of Idaho will end up paying the price. We look forward to working with state leaders to chart a path that is in the best interest of the state moving forward."
Officials with IGWA said ground water districts are committed to making a plan to avoid future curtailments and protect farmers who have already planted their crops for the season.
"The curtailment was ordered after IDWR projected a 74,100-acre-foot shortfall of surface water to the Twin Falls Canal Company, a senior water right holder in the Magic Valley," the news releas states. "The new plan mitigates for that shortfall and continues the commitment of IGWA members to recharge the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer."
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