Idaho Water Board offers to sell hatchery to resolve aquifer conflict
The Idaho Water Resource Board has agreed to expand an existing loan to Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer ground water districts. The loan would allow the districts to purchase the Aqualife fish hatchery property for an appraised value of $3.2 million. The total value of the loan would be $7.2 million and must be repaid by September 30, 2016.
Water Board planning and projects bureau chief Brian Patton said the sale of the hatchery property is a vital aspect of resolving water supply conflicts in the Hagerman area. The water districts, who pump water from the Eastern Snake Plain aquifer, face a deadline by the end of 2015 to provide water to the Rangen Hatchery in the Hagerman Valley, which relies on spring flows from the aquifer.
The ground water districts claimed the value of the property was inflated by as much as $500,000, but the water board stuck to the appraised value.
Water Board Chairman Roger Chase said he sympathized with the pumpers, but could not justify reducing the property value. “I don’t feel good about putting you guys in a corner. We appreciate your sacrifices,” Chase said.
The water board also approved two enhancement projects to bolster two existing ESPA aquifer recharge sites, one in the Egin Lakes area near St. Anthony and one near Blackfoot in the Jensen Grove recreation area. The Water Board approved spending $26,500 on the Jensen Grove enhancement project to improve the diversion and delivery system and $1.03 million on the Egin Lakes project, which will improve the recharge capacity of that site by 50 to 150 cfs by building a new connection from the St. Anthony Canal to the Egin Lakes recharge canal.
