Water levels in the aquifer underlying eastern Idaho are plummeting, so state officials have proposed creation of the East Snake Plain Aquifer groundwater management area, says The Associated Press. The result would be a plan that parcels out water to farmers and other users in predictable amounts rather than abrupt cutbacks when the holders of senior rights to the water claim their share.
The state Department of Water Resources scheduled meetings across eastern Idaho next week to gauge support for the idea. A number of farmers already oppose the plan, said AP. Some opponents say they accepted cuts in water supplies earlier this year, as part of a settlement with water users in southern Idaho. To them, the proposed water-management area smacks of another layer of control.
Farmer Robert Murdock said “it’s bad economic timing,” considering wheat and potato prices are down. Other growers say the aquifer-management area is a premature idea and want to see the longer-term impact of the settlement with the southern Idaho users.