IDWR Looking At Water Curtailments

Junior water rights holders in some areas of Idaho are potentially going to have less access to water after the state’s Department of Water Resources sent curtailment notices out last month. IDWR Deputy Director Mat Weaver says there have been conversations between senior and junior water rights holders about coming to an agreement for several years.

“They’ve gotten very focused in the past year as it really became apparent that we were going to have a very bad snowpack this year and drought conditions set in.” 

The two most impacted areas are the Eastern Snake River Plain and Basin 37, or the Wood River Basin. The State Department of Water Resources is holding a hearing on whether or not the curtailments will be implemented. Weaver says it’s unlikely that enough rain will come in to provide ample water supply for everyone.

“If the senior service water users and the ground users could come to some settlement, just for this year, where the groundwater users commit to whatever activities they might commit to, to mitigate for their depletion. If the seniors could agree to that, then we could go this year without curtailment.” 

Ground water rights for single-family domestic and small stockwater uses are exempt from the curtailment order. For more information, contact the IDWR water distribution staff at (208) 287-4800 or (208) 736-3033. ​

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