Blackfoot implements water restrictions as drought and low snowpack raise concerns
Blackfoot (KIFI) — The city of Blackfoot has implemented water restrictions due to concerns about water supply heading into the summer months.
Mayor Scott Stufflebeam said the decision came after reviewing regional water data and seeing warning signs tied to this year’s water outlook.
“I received several emails about the regional water supply, and at that point I decided that we needed to do something so that we can be conservationists in terms of how to make sure we have enough water,” Stufflebeam said.
The restrictions are aimed at reducing demand on the city’s system early, as officials prepare for what could be a difficult summer.
Currently, watering is based on odd and even house numbers. Stufflebeam said he plans to propose a change to a more structured weekly schedule at an upcoming city council meeting to make it easier for residents to follow.
Under that proposal, homes with odd-numbered addresses would water Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while even-numbered addresses would water Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. No watering would be allowed on Sundays.
The mayor said enforcement will rely in part on community cooperation, with warnings issued before any citations.
“We have a limited police force, but everybody has a neighbor,” Stufflebeam said. “If someone’s not following the rules, they can call it in and we’ll start with a warning.”
The restrictions apply only to city water use. Stufflebeam said residents using irrigation ditches, private wells or other water sources are not subject to the city’s watering schedule.
“Our proclamation only applies to the use of city water,” he said.
The move comes as hydrologists warn this year’s snowpack is significantly below normal in parts of eastern Idaho.
According to Erin Whorton, a hydrologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, snowpack in the Blackfoot area peaked at about 58% of normal this year.
“This year we had a very low snowpack, and in the Blackfoot area it only peaked at about 58 percent of normal,” Whorton said.
Whorton said the issue is not just the amount of snow, but how early it melted.
“The snowpack peaked in mid-March, and that’s earlier than normal,” she said. “In some areas around Blackfoot, it melted out almost five weeks earlier than normal.”
Snowpack plays a critical role in Idaho’s water supply, acting as a natural reservoir that slowly releases water into rivers and streams during the spring and summer.
“The majority of the water we see in our rivers, lakes and streams actually comes from the snowpack,” Whorton said. “About 75 percent of that water comes from the melting snowpack.”
Whorton said warmer temperatures this winter caused more precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow, reducing the amount of water stored in the mountains.
“When precipitation falls as rain rather than snow, you’re not storing that water in the mountains,” she said. “It just runs off earlier instead of being available later in the summer.”
That shift in timing, combined with lower overall snowpack, could lead to reduced streamflows during peak demand months.
Stufflebeam said the situation is concerning not just for residents, but for agriculture and the broader economy.
“I’m concerned for all of Idaho,” he said. “This affects our farmers, our economy — it affects everyone.”
He said conservation now is key, especially as uncertainty remains about future water conditions.
Mayor Scott Stufflebeam said the decision came after reviewing regional water data and seeing warning signs tied to this year’s water outlook.
“I received several emails about the regional water supply, and at that point I decided that we needed to do something so that we can be conservationists in terms of how to make sure we have enough water,” Stufflebeam said.
The restrictions are aimed at reducing demand on the city’s system early, as officials prepare for what could be a difficult summer.
Currently, watering is based on odd and even house numbers. Stufflebeam said he plans to propose a change to a more structured weekly schedule at an upcoming city council meeting to make it easier for residents to follow.
Under that proposal, homes with odd-numbered addresses would water Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while even-numbered addresses would water Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. No watering would be allowed on Sundays.
The mayor said enforcement will rely in part on community cooperation, with warnings issued before any citations.
“We have a limited police force, but everybody has a neighbor,” Stufflebeam said. “If someone’s not following the rules, they can call it in and we’ll start with a warning.”
The restrictions apply only to city water use. Stufflebeam said residents using irrigation ditches, private wells or other water sources are not subject to the city’s watering schedule.
“Our proclamation only applies to the use of city water,” he said.
The move comes as hydrologists warn this year’s snowpack is significantly below normal in parts of eastern Idaho.
According to Erin Whorton, a hydrologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, snowpack in the Blackfoot area peaked at about 58% of normal this year.
“This year we had a very low snowpack, and in the Blackfoot area it only peaked at about 58 percent of normal,” Whorton said.
Whorton said the issue is not just the amount of snow, but how early it melted.
“The snowpack peaked in mid-March, and that’s earlier than normal,” she said. “In some areas around Blackfoot, it melted out almost five weeks earlier than normal.”
Snowpack plays a critical role in Idaho’s water supply, acting as a natural reservoir that slowly releases water into rivers and streams during the spring and summer.
“The majority of the water we see in our rivers, lakes and streams actually comes from the snowpack,” Whorton said. “About 75 percent of that water comes from the melting snowpack.”
Whorton said warmer temperatures this winter caused more precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow, reducing the amount of water stored in the mountains.
“When precipitation falls as rain rather than snow, you’re not storing that water in the mountains,” she said. “It just runs off earlier instead of being available later in the summer.”
That shift in timing, combined with lower overall snowpack, could lead to reduced streamflows during peak demand months.
Stufflebeam said the situation is concerning not just for residents, but for agriculture and the broader economy.
“I’m concerned for all of Idaho,” he said. “This affects our farmers, our economy — it affects everyone.”
He said conservation now is key, especially as uncertainty remains about future water conditions.
