United States Department of Fort Hall Agriculture Natural Resources Ground Water Quality Conservation Service Shoshone-Bannock Cooperative River Basin Study Tribes Shoshone-Bannock Natural Resources Fort Hall Indian Reservation Conservation District United States Bingham, Bannock and Power Environmental Protection Agency Counties, Idaho United States Department of Interior – Bureau of Indian Affairs United States Department of Interior – Geological Survey December 2006 PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK FORT HALL GROUND WATER QUALITY RIVER BASIN STUDY Bingham, Bannock and Power Counties, Idaho Requested by: Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Fort Hall Indian Reservation and Shoshone-Bannock Natural Resources Conservation District Prepared by: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service In Consultation with: Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Land Use Department Bureau of Indian Affairs and United States Environmental Protection Agency December 2006 PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK Table of Contents_____________________________________________i TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................ I SUMMARY..................................................................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................................3 PURPOSE, PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND AUTHORITY.................................................................................................3 OBJECTIVES OF THE SPONSORS ..................................................................................................................................3 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT..............................................................................................................................................4 RECENT PROGRESS ....................................................................................................................................................4 PROJECT SETTING..................................................................................................................................................5 LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................................................5 HISTORY OF THE PROJECT AREA................................................................................................................................6 Pre-History and Earliest History..........................................................................................................................6 History of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.........................................................................................................6 AGRICULTURAL HISTORY ..........................................................................................................................................6 LAND OWNERSHIP .....................................................................................................................................................7 LAND USE ..................................................................................................................................................................7 CLIMATE ....................................................................................................................................................................7 TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY .......................................................................................................................8 HYDROGEOLOGY .......................................................................................................................................................9 POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT (FORT HALL INDIAN RESERVATION, IDAHO)..........................................................9 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY ........................................................................................................................................9 WILDLIFE.................................................................................................................................................................10 RESOURCE PROBLEMS........................................................................................................................................11 RESOURCE PROBLEM STATEMENT ...........................................................................................................................11 WATER RESOURCE PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED ..............................................................................................................11 Nitrates ...............................................................................................................................................................11 Pesticides ............................................................................................................................................................11 SOURCES OF POLLUTANTS TO GROUND WATER.......................................................................................................11 Nutrient and Irrigation Water Management.......................................................................................................12 AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES CONTRIBUTING TO POLLUTION ....................................................................................12 EFFECTS OF POLLUTION ...........................................................................................................................................12 GOAL AND OBJECTIVES............................................................................................................................................12 Goal ....................................................................................................................................................................12 Objectives ...........................................................................................................................................................12 RESOURCE INVENTORY .....................................................................................................................................13 COMMON RESOURCE AREAS....................................................................................................................................13 CRA 11.3 Snake River Plains – Upper Snake River Plain ...............................................................................13 CRA 13.4 Eastern Idaho Plateaus – Sagebrush Steppe and Woodland-Covered Hills and Low Mountains...13 CRA 13.5 Eastern Idaho Plateaus – High Elevation Forests and Shrublands.................................................13 CRA 13.6 Eastern Idaho Plateaus – Sagebrush Steppe Valleys.......................................................................13 _______________________________________________________________________ FORT HALL GROUND WATER QUALITY – COOPERATIVE RIVER BASIN STUDY December 2006 Table of Contents_____________________________________________ii RESOURCE SETTING .................................................................................................................................................14 Sprinkler Irrigated Crop Land............................................................................................................................14 Surface Irrigated Crop Land ..............................................................................................................................14 Hayland ..............................................................................................................................................................14 Pasture................................................................................................................................................................14 Dry Crop Land....................................................................................................................................................15 Rangeland...........................................................................................................................................................15 Nutrients Applied ................................................................................................................................................15 Disposal of Agricultural Chemicals ...................................................................................................................15 SOILS .......................................................................................................................................................................15 Soils Mapping From 1995 ..................................................................................................................................16 IRRIGATION HISTORY...............................................................................................................................................17 CURRENT IRRIGATION WATER USE – ZONE 1 COMPARISON ....................................................................................17 Consumptive Use Requirements .........................................................................................................................18 Surface Irrigation ...............................................................................................................................................18