The truth about Idaho’s farms and water rights in eastern Idaho

A pivoting irrigation system waters a crop of barley on a farm located near Arco, Idaho, during a late summer day. Idaho is a top barley-producing state, growing both malting and feed varieties. (Johnathan Cohen/Getty Images)

There is a fight happening in southeastern Idaho right now, over the most important resource we have: water. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of misinformation being spread that is trying to pit farmer versus farmer, and even farmer versus Idaho, over what some are calling “an attack on farmland.”

It’s time we cut through the noise and start talking about the facts. Here’s the truth about what’s actually happening in southern Idaho:

First, no farmland in Idaho is being shut down, and Gov. Brad Little did not command any farmers to close their farm. Farms with junior groundwater rights have the opportunity to continue farming by complying with the mitigation plan they entered into in 2016 to restore the aquifer and mitigate.

Second, the Idaho Department of Water Resources is a state agency that does report to the governor as it follows state law. The department approved the above referenced 2016 mitigation plan and enforces the plan.

Third, water from the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer is not being taken away from farmers and diverted to Boise.

And finally, junior groundwater users did agree to adhere to all Idaho laws and mitigation plans, and the potential curtailment earlier this year was issued because some users chose to not uphold that agreement.

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The misrepresentations currently being spread are outlandish generalizations that aim to create doubt and perpetuate fear. No one wants any farmland to go without water. Why would we, when those farms put food on our tables and bring jobs and revenue to our communities? But all farmers need water and according to the Idaho Constitution, there is a clearly defined process, the prior appropriation doctrine that dictates how to distribute this limited resource while helping ensure we have enough for future generations.

Here’s how this entire water disagreement began.

Idaho’s water is conjunctively allocated by “first in time, first in right.” So senior right holders, typically surface water users, get their allotment first, then junior right holders, who are primarily groundwater users. Nearly all groundwater users in eastern Idaho get their water from the Eastern Snake River Plan Aquifer . But due to the last few years of severe drought and historical declines from years of over-pumping, the aquifer’s water levels are declining at an alarming rate . This puts every user at risk of having less water during irrigation season as rain and snowpack supplies fluctuate.

The Idaho Department of Water Resources is responsible for monitoring the state’s water supplies, and this year, the department calculated a water shortfall to senior surface users. So, according to state law, the department said that junior groundwater users not complying with an approved mitigation plan would be subject to curtailment and those complying with an approved plan had safe harbor from curtailment.

Most groundwater districts did comply with that agreement – but a few chose not to, and instead, started making false claims to the media that thousands of acres of farmland were going to dry up because the government took their water.

Do these junior water users realize that when they decided to not comply, they weren’t taking water from Boise but were actually taking water away from other eastern Idaho farmers and impacting neighbors who were complying or desiring to stay in business?

Do they realize that Idaho Department of Water Resources and the governor are doing their jobs to uphold the state law and the agreement signed by the groundwater districts, and that the groundwater users’ disregard for following the law and agreement puts other farmland that relies on surface water at risk of drying up?

Do these groundwater users understand that this all started because of their own choices?

The truth is the surface water farmers and irrigators are the reason the potential curtailment was canceled. They forgave tens of thousands of acre-feet of water owed to them by three groundwater districts to protect the entire region’s farming season.

Also, the rhetoric that Idaho’s state government would want to shut down any agricultural land is absurd, especially when you consider how important the ag industry is to our state economy and identity. Both the governor and lieutenant governor are generational ranchers who know firsthand how important water is, and both worked tirelessly to help avoid any injury to farmers. They also know that priority of water rights is the backbone of water. Without priority there is chaos.

These are not the bad guys. Our state government is upholding our constitutional laws, and our surface water users are simply asking to receive the water they need to keep their farms in business.

We all want the same thing here: enough water to plant our crops, feed our cattle, and supply our communities with clean drinking water. It’s time we stopped listening to the few who want to create panic and start working together as neighbors towards a long-term solution that supports all eastern Idaho water users.

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