Surface Water Coalition plans to find new mitigation plan by October

TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The Magic Valley and Eastern Idaho generally have two types of water users: surface water and groundwater.

The Surface Water Coalition comprises Magic Valley agricultural producers, farmers, ranchers, canal companies and irrigators. It controls the senior water rights.

“Surface water users are generally those guys who divert water out of the snake river into a system of canals, laterals and coulees,” said Jay Barlogi, general manager of the Twin Falls Canal Company. “We deliver that water and carefully measure that water out to each individual farmer.”

Surface water users have staff who measure and ensure proper management. Groundwater users are generally independent farmers.

“The ground water users generally have drilled wells and pump water directly out of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer,” Barlogi said. “A little more difficult and challenging for them to measure and regulate.”

Management rules established in 1994 say ground and surface are regulated as one resource. The last agreement was in 2015, and the previous mitigation plan was implemented in 2016.

The deal was breached when the junior water users were found to be in a deficit that would impact senior water users this season by the Idaho Department of Water Resources. The deficit caused potential curtailment orders.

“Gov. Little, Lt. Gov. Bedke and the director had no choice but to resort back to the law,” Barlogi said. “This is what the law says will happen if you don’t comply with the terms of the agreement. So again, I want to say it wasn’t a decision that was made, but in the end, I feel it really was a decision on the part of the groundwater group.”

While water was never shut off, it took two weeks of negotiations to get the 2024 irrigation season deal, which got everyone talking. Surface water users made some compromises to get it done.

“I would say we gave up a little bit of progress to our improvement of the aquifer,” Barlogi said. “The aquifer will suffer a little bit more as a result of what we gave up. We’ve relieved those folks in Eastern Idaho and the groundwater community of some of the responsibilities that have come about over the last couple of years. Who will really suffer from that? Well, the aquifer will suffer from that. Who will feel the pain of that? The surface water group will feel the pain of the aquifer reduction.”

Now, the two groups must find a plan by October.

“We will find a new deal by October we are committed to it,” Barlogi said. “In the end if for some reason we don’t find a new deal the 2016 plan is still in place, and we will very likely end up right back where we were here a week or two ago. I am very confident; I know the surface water group is ready to work hard and we will find a deal.”

It was essential for the coalition to keep the water on and in the future.

“Water is the backbone of all of us in the state of Idaho and the prior appropriation doctrine is part of the Idaho Constitution,” Barlogi said. “It regulates how that water will be administered in the state of Idaho. Again, with the importance of water in the state of Idaho and the importance of agriculture in the state of Idaho, it’s paramount that we get out in front of this, and we find the solutions.”

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