Eastern Snake River Aquifer Plan - ICIE's Saturday Summary 2/28/09

At a joint meeting of the House Resources and Conservation Committee and the Senate Resources and Environment Committee, the Idaho Water Resources Board presented a plan for the Eastern Snake River Aquifer (ESRA). The plan is the product of a 2007 House resolution (HCR28). Its long term objective is to address methods of incrementally increasing the ESRA water budget by 600 thousand acre feet annually by the year 2030. The ESRA area produces approximately 21 percent of all goods and services within the State of Idaho resulting in an estimated value of $10 billion annually. Supply of, and demands for, water are out of balance in the Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) and the connected Snake River. The plan is aimed at addressing the economic viability, social and environmental health of the ESRP “by adaptively managing a balance between water use and supplies.”

Phase one of the plan is estimated to cost between $70 and $100 million over the course of 10 years by utilizing a range of actions that target managing and increasing aquifer recharge, reducing demand and ground water to surface water conversion. Based upon hydrologic modeling provided by Idaho Power Company and others (which has been peer reviewed), the target for phase one is between 200 and 300 thousand acre feet, and will have the advantage of building institutional confidence. Members of the committee noted that, had phase one been implemented in 1980, the same models show the resulting annual recharge rate would be 327 thousand acre feet today.

The committee touted the utilization of public input throughout the process of developing the plan. Certainly, the committee itself represents a broad range of interests including ground and surface water users, spring water users, municipalities, developers, hydropower, domestic well users, business interests, state agencies, environmental, and conservation interests.

Committee members warned that the consequences of inaction will impact the continued viability of irrigated agriculture, aquaculture, industry, hydropower, municipalities, future development, domestic uses and environmental resources if current water supply trends continue. Continued uncertainty, they maintain, will result in instability for water users, increased vulnerability to changes in yearly supply, and less water for commercial and other expansion.

A full copy of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Comprehensive Aquifer Management Plan is available at http://www.espaplan.idaho.gov/