Surface Water Coalition announces drastic water cuts amid one of the worst water outlooks on record
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Idaho farmers are struggling to do more with less as water users across the state grapple with one of the worst water outlooks on record.
In a news release, the Idaho Surface Water Coalition (SWC) announced that its members have been forced to impose drastic reductions on their own water usage. The cuts are driven by a devastating combination of historically low snowpack, a statewide drought emergency, and declining reach gains across the Snake River system.
The crisis arrives at the worst possible time, just as Idaho farmers enter the most critical stretch of the 2026 agricultural irrigation season.
“Idaho is in a bad situtation,” said Alan Hasten, chairman of the Surface Water Coalition. “The snow never fell this past winter, so now we are dealing with one of the most challenging water years in generations, with the consequences already stacking up.”
Preliminary data highlights the severity of the shortage, indicating that this year's snowpack is less than 40% of typical levels for this time of year. In addition, Idaho reservoirs are currently holding approximately 2.47 million acre-feet of water. In a typical year, the system holds about 3.25 million acre-feet, which means Idaho is facing a deficit of roughly one-third of the state's dependable reserve.
The shortfall is already hitting central Idaho farms, where agricultural fields served by the Twin Falls Canal Company are desperately trying to stretch water allocations that have been slashed by 33.3%, according to the release.
Faced with these troubling conditions, Hasten says some producers have already made the difficult decision to cut their losses. Hasten notes that one local farmer has already sacrificed their grain crop early, chopping it to sell as low-margin cattle feed to conserve their remaining water for higher-value crops.
“Our members are facing deep cuts to their water supplies, which in turn leaves everyone who relies on us working frantically to stretch what little they have,” Hasten warned. “Farmers are already having to decide which fields to abandon just to make it through the summer. The impacts of this very real drought equate to lost crops and lost income. Ultimately, this will be felt in our towns, our businesses, our grocery stores, and around kitchen tables across Idaho and the nation.”
In early June, the Idaho Department of Water Resources warned The Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) that Snake River flows may fall below the minimum flow of 3,900 cubic feet per second at the Murphy gage this summer. As a result, water users who have Trust Water Rights may be subject to curtailment.
Amid the grim water outlook, the majority of groundwater users have been provided a safe harbor through the 2024 Stipulated Mitigation Plan.
Earlier this year, the SWC and nine groundwater districts jointly filed a First Addendum to the plan with the Idaho Department of Water Resources, bringing three additional groundwater districts - the Little Lost River Basin, Big Lost River Basin, and Upper Big Lost River Basin - under the same umbrella of conservation standards, storage water obligations, and managed aquifer recharge requirements as existing participants. In exchange for safe harbor protection, groundwater users have agreed to an approximate 11.3% reduction through a combination of pumping reductions and recharge efforts.
The SWC stated it will continue to monitor conditions closely and provide updates as the season progresses.
