Water Storage Capacity Lags Population Growth
By Frank Priestley
Saturday, February 23, 2008 4:09 PM CST
The ongoing legal battle between surface water irrigators and groundwater pumpers may well be made insignificant if Gem State population growth continues to trend higher and nothing is done to increase water storage capacity.
A long list of solid reasons to increase water storage in Idaho was introduced to the Idaho Legislature recently. Sponsored by representatives Bert Stevenson and Dell Raybould, House Memorial 8 states the Missouri River basin is capable of storing 400 percent of its annual average runoff, while the Snake River basin is capable of catching just 25 percent. That’s puny when you consider Idaho is one of the fastest growing states in the West and is already fighting over allocation of its water supply. Add in drought and Endangered Species Act requirements for salmon flushing, and the future starts to look somewhat grim.
H.M. 8, which has passed the Idaho House of Representatives unanimously and is currently before the Idaho Senate, names Minidoka Dam enlargement, Teton Dam replacement and construction of Twin Springs Dam on the Boise River, Galloway Dam on the Weiser River, and Lost Valley Dam in Adams County as potential projects to increase water storage capacity. Supporting legislation that is expected to be introduced this session seeks $1.4 million to study enlarging Minidoka Dam to store an additional 40,000 to 50,000 acre-feet of water, and $400,000 to study replacing Teton Dam. Minidoka is slated for improvements by the Bureau of Reclamation including replacement of the spillway. Environmental compliance and design work are ready to begin on that project. It makes good sense to evaluate enlarging the dam at the same time.
From an agricultural perspective, meeting the needs of a growing world population is becoming more challenging. This fall will mark the third consecutive year when less wheat is harvested than consumed worldwide. Food prices, driven mainly by the increasing cost of energy, add cause for concern. In addition, increasing demand for meat protein is coming from a growing population of middle class citizens in India, China and other countries around the globe. Agriculture’s future is bright and Idaho farmers don’t want to lose their water, or see the state’s economy take a nosedive because we didn’t carefully plan for growth. Increasing our water storage capacity is essential to Idaho’s future.
Frank Priestley is president of Idaho Farm Bureau Federation/
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