The water issue is not going away. As you recall, earlier this year senior water rights holders in the Magic Valley made a “water call” which led to curtailment orders for several districts in southeastern Idaho. The order was lifted after each district agreed to abide by a mitigation order, but not before farmers panicked that they wouldn’t be able to water the crops they had planted, leading to massive losses.
Discussions between the surface water and groundwater districts are ongoing, and Gov. Brad Little has expressed hope for a long term solution before the end of the year. Nevertheless, as our population increases, these sorts of conflicts will only increase as well.
Braxton McCoy is a rancher and military veteran in southeastern Idaho who has been following this issue since the beginning. He invited an expert named Alan Jackson onto his podcast for a long and in-depth discussion of the issue. I would like to share that discussion with you. The whole thing is worth your time, and make sure you’re not driving otherwise you’ll miss all the great maps and charts!
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