Semanko gets nod

BOISE – The executive director for the Idaho Water Users Association will take the reins of the National Water Resources Association, marking the first time in more than three decades that an Idahoan led the group.

Norm Semanko was elected to serve a two-year term as the organization’s vice president, and during the association’s recent annual convention was elevated to president.

The association represents the interest of irrigators and other water users throughout the West and brings those interests to the attention of national lawmakers. The NWRA concerns itself with water resources policy and development.

“I am deeply honored to head the NWRA but, more importantly, I also believe it to be an honor that can serve my state because it will allow me to keep Idaho’s water issues in the forefront of the national political leadership,” Semanko said.

Headquartered in the Washington, D.C., area, the association’s membership includes rural water districts, municipal water entities, companies and those concerned with water policy and land resources on a national level.

Semanko also sits on the Western States Water Council as Idaho’s only private sector representative. Council delegates are chosen by the governors of the 18 Western states.

Before being named to head IWUA, the University of Idaho graduate worked in the natural resources field as a legislative assistant and field staffer for Sen. Larry Craig in Washington, D.C., and northern Idaho.