WATER ISSUES Roger Chase Idaho Water Resource Board • First in time, first in line

• Water is considered a property right in Idaho Water Sustainability Projects Statewide

Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Upper Salmon Basin/Lemhi/ Pahsimeroi Flow Enhancement Palouse Basin Aquifer Future Water Supply Study Wood River Aquifer Ground Water Model Lewiston-Area Deep Regional Aquifer Investigation Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer & Efforts Potential Galloway Reservoir

Treasure Valley Aquifer Island Park CAMP, recharge study, & Reservoir Potential ground water model Enlargement Arrowrock Reservoir Potential Enlargement Mt. Home AFB Water Supply & Mt. Home Aquifer Study One of our Greatest Assets

QUALITY SUSTAINABILITY Existing Problems

• Using more water than we have.

• Polluting our waters.

• Lack of understanding of water issues by most people. New Problems

• Climate change.

• Temperature change.

• Soil erosion. Increasing Issues

• Recreational needs.

• Species issues.

• Increased storage needs. Coeur d’Alene Confluence of the Snake & Clearwater Rivers The Lemhi River is one of the cornerstones of Idaho’s salmon recovery efforts. TetonTeton mtns MountainsIdaho side Henry’s Fork Oneida Narrows—Bear River Combined System

Idaho Power Hells Canyon Complex Thousand Springs-fed minimum flows pass through IPCO hydropower system ESPA discharge to Snake River at American Falls ESPA discharge to Snake River at Thousand Springs Swan Falls Dam – Minimum Flow of American Falls-area 3,900 cfs/5,600 cfs springs partly supply river flows that feed Thousand Springs Surface Water Area Delivery Calls Surface Water Coalition canals Coalition Delivery – Milner Call Zero Flow Volume Change of Water Stored Within the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer and Thousand Springs Total Discharge

Aquifer Storage

Thousand Springs Discharge

1912 – 1952 Change +17,000,000 AF

1952 – 2015 Change -13,000,000 AF

Average annual 1952-2015 loss of aquifer storage is about 215,000 AF

Aquifer storage and flows from the Thousand Springs are directly correlated

Total Thousand Springs Flows How much ESPA water comes from tributary basins?

ESPA Recharge (KAF/yr) 700 (14%) (9%) 1,112 TributaryUnderflow

578 Tributary Seepage (8%) Recharge from Surface Water Irrigation

From IDWR 2013 5,300 (69%) Magic Springs – Rangen Pipeline in Hagerman Public – Private: How to Get Water Into the Ground

•Use unlined canals that divert from river and cross the plain •Most cost effective way to divert & recharge large volumes of water •Contract with canal companies & irrigation districts to carry water to recharge •Creates public/private partnership & outsources work to canal companies •Supplement with spreading basins Mile Post 31 Recharge Site on Milner-Gooding Canal ChallengesChallenges to Aquifer to Aquifer Stabilization stbilization

•Water right priority: IWRB holds 1980 priority date water rights for recharge, and 1998 applications for recharge – variable supply – other recharge will have more junior priority dates.

•Infrastructure: Needed to move water during winter in lower basin and during short windows of time in upper basin.

•Declines: May be further declined in incidental recharge from canals and surface water irrigators if efficiency improvements continue. ChallengesChallenges

• Ground Water pumpers giving up 240,000 AF -- after aquifer recovery they should be made whole prior to new users being considered.

• Recharge needs to be monitored for both quantity of water recharged as well as water quality to protect aquifer. Swan Falls Dam CitiesCities and and Canal Canal Shares

• Cities and canal companies need to work together to better utilize city-owned canal shares

•Be creative in reusing water and finding new water sources

•Cities are understanding their political power IWRB GroundCities Water and ConservationCanal Shares Grants

• The Ground Water Conservation provides financial assistance to pursue ground water conservation projects. Pursuing conservation can help water providers reduce water demands, lower operational costs, and reduce or postpone the need for additional water supplies.

•Eligible Entities: Municipalities, Homeowner Associations, Water User Associations, Private Corporations, Irrigation Districts/Companies, Ground Water Districts

•Grant Amount: $5,000 - $20,000; applicants must provide $2 for every $1 awarded by the Board IWRB GroundCities Water and ConservationCanal Shares Grants

• Some Examples:

•Conduct irrigation system audits for City municipal parks and implement infrastructure upgrades to improve operating efficiency and conserve ground water.

•Implement a ground water conservation rebate program. Qualified applicants would receive rebates for removal of turf and replacing it with low-to-no water alternatives.

•Retrofit existing landscape irrigation systems with “smart” controllers and upgrade rotor heads and nozzles. Boise Cloud Seeding We must continue to find ways to be more efficient with our water use

Flow meter installation on irrigation pipeline from Snake River • We must protect our water quality and recognize that our water resources are limited.

Water quality monitoring at aquifer recharge site We have to be diligent and look down the road; even little things can have major consequences. Stabilizing and recovering the aquifer will be difficult, but working together can make it happen!