Little commits another $10 million for East Idaho aquifer recharge projects

POCATELLO — Gov. Brad Little joined ground and surface water users Tuesday to announce plans to add $10 million to improve the long-term health of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer.

This addition will bring the total to $40 million that has been invested in helping fund projects that benefit the aquifer.

Little confirmed the additional funding during a Tuesday morning meeting with the Idaho State Journal at the Bengal Alumni Center on Idaho State University's Pocatello campus.

According to a press release from the governor, this funding came from a project shift which freed the money to be used on the aquifer.

On June 26, Little signed an executive order — the Protecting Idaho Water Sovereignty Act — directing the Idaho Water Resource Board to prioritize these types of projects in East Idaho and the Magic Valley.

Little stated in his news release, "My top priority has always been and will continue to be maintaining a strong ag economy in Eastern Idaho while preserving water for future generations. The added funds we announced (Tuesday) will get the water levels in the aquifer headed in the right direction. It is part of an overall strategy to maintain our water destiny here in Idaho. Ultimately farmers, not government mandates, will drive the solutions. I am very excited about the momentum that farmers are building to strike a deal."

Farmers in Eastern Idaho have faced a water curtailment order by the Idaho Department of Water Resources after a water delivery call notified them of a shortfall that would have affected senior water rights holder Twin Falls Canal Co.

The order curtailed 330,000 acres of farmland to recover 74,100 acre-feet of water that would’ve been short.

Under Idaho’s Constitution of Prior Appropriation, senior water rights holders must be protected from a shortfall, and juniors are forced to curtail.

On June 20, groundwater districts were able to negotiate a temporary deal with the Surface Water Coalition, of which Twin Falls Canal Co. is a part. This temporary deal would allow growers to continue irrigating their crops. However, a new water agreement must be reached by Oct. 1. If no agreement is reached, the 2015 agreement will be reinstated for the 2025 season.

The Idaho State Journal contributed to this report.