“I want that certainty as soon as possible”-Governor Little addresses groundwater users’ concerns
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Governor Little is addressing the concerns of East Idaho groundwater users. Local News 8 met with the governor for an one on one interview Thursday, outside of an ongoing meeting between water users on both sides of the state.
The Governor told local News 8 he was confident in the progress the group has made ahead of the October 1st deadline for a new mitigation agreement between water users, as outlined in Little’s executive order to protect Idaho’s water sovereignty.
“My position, which is very hard, is we need to do it this time of year for next year so that there’s certainty,” said Governor Little. “I don’t want to have it be like it we did it this year, where it’s in April, May, and June, because of how disrupting that is. That is not fair.”
Watch our full coverage of the interview tonight on Local News 8 at 5.
The executive order and subsequent meetings resulted from a water curtailment order issued by the Idaho Department of Water Resources on May 30th. The order cut off 500,000 acres of east Idaho farmland from pumping groundwater to reduce a shortage of water for first rights holders.
Governor Little’s order ended the curtailment, providing a temporary agreement between water users for the 2024 season. Water users on both sides of the state have since entered into three months of negotiations to develop a new agreement.
