Gov. Brad Little talks about water rights and the current state of talks

BOISE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The clock is ticking to reach a permanent agreement over water rights in Idaho.

The issue may significantly impact the state’s agriculture and economy.

According to Gov. Brad Little, water rights issues are nothing new.

“This has been an issue in the state of Idaho forever ever since the pioneers started diverting water that made the magic valley,” Little said.

In recent years, Little and the state legislature have invested more than half a billion dollars in improving water quality and quantity.

Even with the improvements, water rights have been established in law.

“There are places all over the state of Idaho where somebody downstream has an older water right in particular and somebody upstream is using their water,” Little said. “We have a system that’s imbedded in our constitution, and our state laws to where that downstream user is protected in both law and the constitution. That is where the issue is.”

That issue came back up when the Department of Water Resources issued a curtailment order to farmers in Eastern Idaho earlier this year.

State and federal laws say a certain amount of water must be left.

The last update to the agreement was in 2015, and almost a decade later, that agreement is showing its age.

“The best solutions to these problems are when farmers get together and work it out,” Little said. “That’s the number one choice. The number two choice is when they get together with their lawyers, not my preferred, but it’s still better than having a legislature or a governor. Some of that is still necessary particularly if it’s an agreement by the water community.”

Farmers came together to create a temporary agreement that kept the water flowing.

But now they need to come together again to find a more permanent solution. Otherwise, it could be out of their and even the state’s hands and fall to the federal government to decide.

“It just happened in Texas a few months ago,” Little said. “It happened in California, but it hasn’t happened here and that’s because our farmers get together with the legislature, and we resolve this issue. "

The sides are meeting, and Little has applauded the efforts to create long-term solutions.

The proposal deadline is Sept. 1, 2024, and the finalization deadline is Oct. 1, 2024.

“I believe we’ll get there, but there will probably be a little pain involved,” Little said.

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