FTR News

Driggs, Idaho - (12/04/2003) -

Ever since farmers cleared sagebrush from the valley floor, one of Teton County's most contentious issues has been water.

In an attempt to address the issue of this liquid asset, Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) Watermaster for District One, Ron Carlson, will be holding an open discussion and educational forum on Tuesday, December 9 from 6 until 8 p.m. at Teton Middle School in order for all citizens to fully understand the water rights adjudication process for Teton Basin Water District One in Idaho runs from Teton Valley to Twin Falls, but many of the property deeds west of this valley hold older rights to live water (in rivers and streams) than do the landowners in this county. As a result, local irrigators are often forced to send their water "out below" to the lower elevations west of here during the dry months in the late summer.

"Water rights is a big issue," irrigator Kerry Buxton said, "Here we are at the headwaters, but we have a process in Idaho called first in time, first to right. It's tough to think that that's how you support your family (through irrigating), especially with the drought we have experienced in Teton Valley over the last few years, but there are earlier priority rights out below."

Carlson, together with IDWR, is in the formal process of allowing landowners to apply for what they believe to be their water rights. Through this process, which will occur in Teton County this summer, IDWR will address and hopefully resolve any disputes over water rights. Teton Valley has a number of different irrigation and canal companies including Trail Creek Sprinkler, Grand Teton and Hog Canal Companies in addition to Fox, Darby, Mahogany, Leigh and Spring Creeks to name a few. While these organizations are not listed in the phone book, they are very real entities, often with attorneys to step in when a culvert has been filled by a developer or new landowner who does not understand the old easements held by the latter companies.

Through this informational meeting, Carlson hopes to educate everyone about the process of distributing the water that comes down from springs and snowmelt in Wyoming.

"The water is precious, and we have a unique situation with mountains on three sides of this valley," Buxton said. "It's a critical issue. This meeting will allow the public to become better educated. The water master and canal companies do the best they can, but everybody needs to work together for a common good."

The good of which Buxton speaks is not solely for the farmer who relies on the irrigation water for his crops, but for the health of Teton Valley's aquifer. With greater demands being placed upon the Valley's natural resources, the quantity and quality of a recharged aquifer can be controlled to a degree by the practices of water use.

Buxton explained that big flush from spring runoff and a call for water out below often creates a substantially higher level along the Teton River for a short time. Alternatives to this rush of water could serve to recharge the Valley's aquifer by allowing water to percolate back down into the earth through flood irrigating.

"As we move forward with aquifer recharge, we need to better understand the adjudication process and water rights," said Lyn Benjamin, Executive Director of Friends of the Teton River. "This meeting is a great educational opportunity to learn more about water use in Teton Valley." Last year at the end of October, hydrogeologist Dr. Mike Nicklin with Nicklin Earth and Water completed a study for Teton County. In that study, Nicklin determined that the behavior of the aquifer depends greatly upon recharge from the surface water by way of irrigation. More recently, Nicklin has interacted with irrigators and local scientists to put together a recharge demonstration project and water monitoring plan that is scheduled for implementation this spring. Many aspects of Nicklin's project echo what longtime locals believe, according to the most recent FTR newsletter, "that replenishing groundwater aquifer recharge-is a critical component of restoring the health of Teton Valley's fisheries and wetlands."