Local water district weighs in on water curtailment discussion amid settlement negotiations
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REXBURG — Economic concerns associated with the recent water curtailment order have been brewing for weeks now.
The Idaho Department of Water Resources issued the curtailment on May 30 because it determined groundwater users in Bingham, Bonneville, Jefferson and Clark counties were not in compliance with a state mitigation plan. The plan maintains priority for surface water users in Magic Valley, who have senior water rights over groundwater users in eastern Idaho.
It also requires groundwater users to restore water levels in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer, which has been declining for decades.
As of Friday, the IDWR paused its curtailment order as both parties made “substantial progress” in the negotiation process. Department spokesman Steve Stuebner tells EastIdahoNews.com a temporary agreement was reached on Tuesday to get them through the growing season. The details of that agreement are expected to be released Thursday.
If the curtailment would’ve been enforced, it would’ve impacted about 500,000 acres of Idaho farmland.
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The curtailment order comes about because of a projected water shortage of 74,100 acre-feet of water for the Twin Falls Canal Company. During times of predicted shortfall, those with senior water rights want to ensure they have the water they need. Under Idaho law, they can make “water calls” over junior water rights users.
Whenever there is a potential water shortfall, Fremont-Madison Irrigation District Executive Director Aaron Dalling says groundwater users are required to follow a methodology order, which falls under a 2016 state water agreement.
Dalling says the methodology order is run in April and July each year, and there are two model types: the Steady State Model, and the Transient Model. This year, the Transient State Model was used.
“One of the big issues is that the department changed the way they ran the methodology order,” Dalling says. “Prior to 2023, they based the methodology order on the Steady State Model.”
Some water districts, particularly those that would’ve been curtailed, find the mitigation plan under the methodology order unsustainable.
The Madison Water District, the Henry’s Fork Water District, along with water districts in Aberdeen, American Falls, and Magic Valley were not subject to curtailment this year because the department determined they were compliant with a mitigation plan. These districts feel the plan under the new methodology order is feasible.
“The Madison Groundwater District, and the Henry’s Fork Groundwater District notified the department back in May they would mitigate under the 2016 settlement agreement, and that protected us from curtailment,” Dalling says.
For the Madison and Henry’s Fork water districts, the mitigation plan involves buying storage water from Henry’s Lake and delivering it directly to Magic Valley canals to offset a portion of the pumping.
“We also purchase water and have it recharged at the Egin Lakes recharge site,” Dalling says.
Throughout this conversation, other water districts have talked about building new recharge sites.
Dalling says the IDWR, which is a board of people that includes hydrologists, geologists and engineers, has to make decisions based on court rulings and Idaho State Law.
“All of these things have been challenged in court, and the surface water users continue to win in court. The department would tell you that they do what they do because … that’s what the court has directed them to do,” Dalling says.
Despite the negative emotion towards the IDWR, Dalling doesn’t believe it is out to get anyone, or that it wants to shut of the water.
“I think they’re trying to make the best decisions they can with the information they have. I think it’s similar for the groundwater districts,” says Dalling. “On both sides, people are working around the clock (and) they’re feeling a ton of weight on their shoulders.”