Idaho Water Resource Board removes “pause” on funding ESPA recharge wells

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) - The Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB) has voted to remove the temporary “pause” on funding Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA) recharge wells.

In mid-January, the board voted to pause funding for injection or recharge wells throughout the state in response to concerns from a group of protesters in Shelley that the injection wells could infect their drinking water.

Friday, the IWRB voted unanimously to remove the temporary “pause” on considering funding proposals for ESPA recharge wells that will help increase recharge capacity. The move comes as the 2025 Idaho Legislature has directed the IWRB to increase the ESPA annual recharge goal from 250,000 acre-feet to 350,000 acre-feet of water per year, on average.

Amid the pause, water users and Idaho groundwater districts urged the IWRB to continue considering funding ESPA recharge wells, as the district recharge is a vital component of the 2024 Water Settlement.

Blackfoot farmer Brian Murdock says he was at the January meeting where the board voted to "pause" consideration on proposals for the recharge wells. He says it comes as a relief that the pause has ended.

"This means we can get back to planning and lining up what projects we can do. The Board gave a somewhat stern warning to me that we better choose very wisely where we try to locate recharge wells. Which I agreed that a more careful examination of locations would be in the best interests of everyone," Murdock wrote in a statement to Local News 8.

As the IWRB removes the pause, officials with the Idaho Department of Water Resources' Underground Injection Program have outlined the process to permit ESPA recharge wells.

• New applications for aquifer recharge wells must adhere to both state and federal laws.
• Applications must demonstrate that injection fluids will not endanger nearby drinking water wells.
• Ongoing groundwater monitoring plans are required for approval

However, Murdock says he is concerned that IDWR Underground Injection Control (UIC), which issues permits for recharge wells to be drilled, has "slowed down in the permitting process."

"I told the water Board that all the funds in the world wouldn't help if we could not get any permits to do anything. The Board felt like the UIC was still issuing permits, but my groundwater district, Bingham, felt differently... Hopefully my plea to the water board will help get the UIC moving faster," writes Murdock.

"At a bigger-picture level, Wesley Hipke, IWRB Managed Aquifer Recharge Manager, noted that all of the ESPA recharge flows have occurred in the Magic Valley area so far this winter season," writes IDWR. "The window of time is expected to be short as the IWRB’s recharge water rights will not be in priority when canal companies and irrigation districts begin wheeling water for the 2025 irrigation season, he said. The IWRB has been working to develop new ESPA recharge sites in the Upper Valley to provide flexibility"

There are 13 Aquifer-recharge projects for the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer currently in the planning stages, according to the IWRB.