Idaho water rights deadline fast approaching

OAKLEY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Food grows where water flows, which can be seen in and around Idaho.

That is why state leaders have worked months to help farmers agree on the approaching deadline.

As a farmer himself, Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke knows firsthand the importance of these talks and the magnitude of the state’s water issues.

“There’s enough for everybody, there’s enough for everybody’s needs but maybe not enough for everybody’s wants,” Lt. Gov. Bedke said. “I think we’ve got to find that happy balance and that happy medium.”

Idaho is one of the fastest-growing states, which has also led to increased demand for water.

Combine that with the fact that much of Idaho’s agriculture has shifted, with many crops taking more water.

Despite all that, farmers in some parts of the state do not believe there was a need for curtailment issued by the water resources department earlier this year.

“The injury determination includes the levels of the aquifer,” Lt. Gov. Bedke said. “It includes the amount of water that’s coming out of the aquifer into the river. Particularly on the west end of the Magic Valley. The surface water system was full, and the reservoir all filled but that does not signal a healthier aquifer.”

As talks over a new deal continue, Lt. Gov. Bedke said he thinks the agreement needs to focus on four primary areas: better accountability so that those who are complying are not penalized, credit for recharge and a method of determining it for the districts, averaging water supply to help during bad years and better measuring with real-time data.

“It’s got to be measured,” Lt. Gov. Bedke said. “It’s got to be transparent in our measurements and everyone has got to see where we are and that keeps everyone honest. Here, in the Oakley system, every drop is metered and if the meter goes down, they shut the water off until we get the meter fixed and that makes for good neighbors.”

Lt. Gov. Bedke is confident a deal can happen, and a lot of progress has been made in the talks before the deadline.

“We have a lot of statesmen left in Idaho. People who have at the forefront of their motivation the good of the state and the good of these communities that they live in.”

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