Water order pinches farmers

POCATELLO, Idaho – Some groundwater irrigators are having to bet the farm to meet the state mandate requiring them to replace water they pump out of the Snake River aquifer so senior water-right holders can get all they’re due.

The order issued by Department of Water Resources Director Karl Dreher on Wednesday requires junior water-right holders to replace at least 27,700 acre-feet of water they pump out of the Snake River Plain aquifer in eastern and southern Idaho. An acre-foot is the amount of water it takes to cover one acre of level ground with 12 inches of water.

The order means junior holders will have to arrange for replacement water if they want to keep irrigating their fields. They have until Friday to present their plans to the state. Dreher is to rule May 6 on whether their plans are acceptable.

Farmer Kevin Michaelson, who farms 2,000 acres near American Falls, is one of many groundwater irrigators who plan to take out 30-year loans to cover the cost of replacement water.

Michaelson has been paying about $2,500 a year for water to irrigate his crops. He expects to pay about $10,000 a year under Dreher’s ruling.

Groundwater pumpers have been negotiating to buy water from upper valley canal companies and high-lift water-rights holders, many of whom have stopped irrigating because of the high cost of pumping water to elevated land.

Some pumpers are considering other options, such as leasing dry ground to another farmer or paying other farmers not to pump from the aquifer in exchange for rights to their water.

This summer, Michaelson will cut back his production of sugar beets and potatoes, which require a lot of water. Instead, he’ll grow wheat, which tolerates drier conditions.

The amount of water that groundwater pumpers must send downstream is significantly less than requested by senior water-right holders. The canal companies originally asked that 38 percent of all groundwater-irrigated acres, regardless of priority date, be left dry.