Idaho Power issues response to Frank VanderSloot’s comments

The following is a statement from Idaho Power in response to an comments made by Frank VanderSloot during an interview with EastIdahoNews.com:

Idaho Power participated with other water users over a period of 11 months in developing an Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Ground Water Management Plan which was submitted to the state last week, at the request of the Governor. Groundwater users also submitted a plan. Water users reached alignment on many details during weeks of discussion, although a handful of fundamental differences remain. Idaho Power’s goal has always been to work with other stakeholders to identify long-term solutions that work for all water users. We all need water, and nobody wants to see farmers’ pumps shut off.

Idaho Power was not involved in the Idaho Department of Water Resources Director’s decision to issue curtailment orders earlier this year, nor was Idaho Power involved in the negotiated settlement between irrigators and the state to avoid water shutoffs. Contrary to what some others have said, Idaho Power does not benefit when irrigators can’t pump water. Many of these farmers are also our customers. Irrigation pumps account for a significant amount of electricity use, in addition to being vital to the state’s overall economy.

Idaho Power does have a strong interest in this issue. Hydropower is the backbone of our system. It’s Idaho Power’s lowest-cost energy source, crucial to keeping rates 20–30% below the national average for our more than 640,000 customers. The water that fuels our 17 hydroelectric power plants comes from melting snow, upstream reservoir releases, irrigation return flows, and springs fed by the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA). During the summer, when our customers use the most energy, that aquifer provides approximately 40% of the water to our crucial dams in Hells Canyon. Water is a limited resource — one that is under growing pressure as more people and businesses flock to our state. We expect electricity demand to grow 5.5% per year over the next five years. That’s one reason Idaho Power is among the many partners working with the state and other water users to monitor and improve the health of the ESPA.

It is vital that all stakeholders develop a viable long-term water management plan that respects our State Constitution and the prior appropriation doctrine.