Idaho may cut off water

BOISE – Farmers, dairymen and other groundwater pumpers failed to broker a deal with two Idaho trout farms Friday, setting the stage for the state to shut down pumps that supply water for crops, industry and towns across 33,000 acres in the Magic Valley.

Barring any last-minute deals, David Tuthill, director of the state Department of Water Resources, said curtailment letters could be mailed to 771 groundwater users as early as next week.

A lawyer for groundwater users estimated $38 million in crop losses alone if the state shuts down wells this summer.

Earlier this year, Idaho Ground Water Appropriators Inc. submitted a plan to set aside 45,000 acre feet of water for the trout farms. But the state rejected the proposal, calling it insufficient and capable of satisfying only half of the volume sought by the trout farms, which own more senior rights to the resource.