The Truth About Idaho’s Farms and Water Rights in Eastern Idaho • Idaho Capital Sun

There is a battle going on in southeast Idaho right now over the most important resource we have: water. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of misinformation being spread that attempts to pit farmer against farmer, and even farmer against Idaho, over what some are calling an “assault on farmland.”

It’s time we cut through the noise and start talking about the facts. Here’s the truth about what’s really happening in southern Idaho:

First, no farmland in Idaho is being closed, and Governor Brad Little has not ordered any farmers to close their farms. Farms with junior groundwater rights have the opportunity to continue farming by complying with the mitigation plan they signed in 2016 to restore and mitigate the aquifer.

Second, the Idaho Department of Water Resources is a state agency that does report to the governor, as it follows state law. The department adopted the 2016 mitigation plan mentioned above and is enforcing the plan.

Third, water from the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer is not taken from farmers and diverted to Boise.

And finally, the small groundwater users agreed to abide by all Idaho laws and mitigation plans. The potential restriction was issued earlier this year because some users chose not to abide by that agreement.

The misrepresentations being spread today are outlandish generalizations designed to create doubt and perpetuate fear. No one wants to see farmland run out of water. Why would we, when those farms put food on our tables and provide jobs and income for our communities? But all farmers need water, and under Idaho’s constitution there is a clearly defined process, the prior appropriation doctrine, that dictates how this limited resource is to be distributed while ensuring that we have enough for future generations.

That’s how this whole water controversy started.

Idaho’s water is allocated conjunctively, “first in time, first in right.” So senior rights holders, typically surface water users, get their allocation first, followed by junior rights holders, who are primarily groundwater users. Nearly all groundwater users in eastern Idaho get their water from the Eastern Snake River Plan Aquifer. But due to the last few years of severe drought and historic declines from years of overpumping, the aquifer’s water levels are dropping at an alarming rate.This puts every user at risk of having less water during the irrigation season, as rainfall and snowfall fluctuates.

The Idaho Department of Water Resources is responsible for monitoring the state’s water supplies, and this year the department calculated a water shortage for senior surface users. So under state law, the department said junior groundwater users who did not adhere to an approved mitigation plan would be subject to curtailment, and that those who did adhere to an approved plan had safe harbor from curtailment.

Most groundwater districts complied with that agreement, but a few chose not to and instead began making false claims to the media that thousands of acres of farmland were drying up because the government had taken away their water.

Do these young water users realize that when they decided to break the rules, they were not taking water from Boise, but rather from other farmers in eastern Idaho, and in doing so, they were also taking water from the residents who were following the rules or wanted to continue their businesses?

Do they realize that the Idaho Department of Water Resources and the Governor are doing their job to enforce state law and the agreement signed by the groundwater districts, and that the disregard for the law and the agreement by groundwater users is putting other farmland that relies on surface water at risk of drying out?

Do these groundwater users understand that this all started because of their own choices?

The truth is that the surface water farmers and irrigators are the reason the potential curtailment was canceled. They forgave tens of thousands of acre-feet of water owed to them by three groundwater districts to protect the region’s entire agricultural season.

Also, the rhetoric that Idaho’s state government wants to close all farmland is absurd, especially considering how important agriculture is to our state’s economy and identity. Both the governor and lieutenant governor are generational ranchers who know firsthand how important water is, and both have worked tirelessly to keep farmers from getting hurt. They also know that prioritizing water rights is the backbone of water. Without prioritization, there is chaos.

These are not the bad guys. Our state government enforces our constitutional laws and our surface water users simply ask to receive the water they need to keep their farms running.

We all want the same thing here: enough water to plant our crops, feed our livestock, and provide our communities with clean drinking water. It’s time to stop listening to the few who want to spread panic and work together as neighbors to find a long-term solution that all water users in eastern Idaho.