Applications being accepted for groundwater recharge

A law approved in the final hours of the 2017 Idaho Legislature will allow people to use surplus water to prevent flood damage, recharge ground water, or work on ground or surface-water-quality remediation. Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter signed the amendments into law March 30. An emergency provision makes it effective immediately. Heavy snows and rain have created an overabundance of water in streams and lakes and that has resulted in widespread flooding. The amendment will allow that water to be put to use to recharge the aquifer. The Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) is prepared to process applications for the temporary use of water in a timely manner. “Applications and instructions are available online and can be filed anytime with our regional offices,” IDWR Director Gary Spackman said. “Approval of applications seeking to divert volumes of water in excess of five acre-feet will be dependent upon a determination of available surplus water.” Prior to the amendment, state law put a five-acre-foot volume limit on all temporary water uses. Spackman said the department will expedite the application process. The Department of Water Resources has already received several applications from canal companies and irrigation districts. The Water Resources Board is expected to file an application for additional surplus water for aquifer recharge as well. Applicants will need to explain where they want to divert the water, how much is requested, and the purpose for which the application is being filed. Applicants also may need to explain how their temporary use of water is in the public interest and how it will not injure existing water rights. There is a $50 application fee. Application forms are available here.