Governor Little Takes Action to Protect Idaho’s Water Sovereignty

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Governor Brad Little signed an executive order today, "The Protecting Idaho Water Sovereignty Act," which he says will "chart a path forward on a new long-term agreement between water users that works for all farmers while providing for a healthy aquifer."

The order comes a week after Governor Little brokered a deal to end the water curtailment order for East Idaho farmers.

After an East versus West battle for water rights in Idaho, the Governor was met by a coalition of farmers from across the state, who gathered to begin negotiations on how to resolve the disagreement between surface water and groundwater users in Idaho.

Governor Little noted a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that blocked an agreement between water users in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado, allowing the federal government to assert water control in times of disagreement. 

He indicated he would prefer not to go that route.

“My goal all along was to avoid the heavy hand of government by bringing farmers to the table and hashing out a plan to keep crops wet this year and into the future. The stakes are higher than they have ever been. We as Idahoans must continue to work together to control our own destiny," he said.

The new Executive Order 2024-06 calls for the following actions:

1. To improve understanding of the aquifer, the Idaho Department of Water Resources will coordinate efforts to bolster and improve water supply modeling technology through partner organizations. The effort will require the partnership of universities, industry, farmers, ranchers, and others.
2. Governor Little will recommend the Idaho Legislature convene the Interim Natural Resources Committee prior to the 2025 legislative session to identify predictable and consistent opportunities to enhance the state’s water infrastructure.
3. The Idaho Water Resource Board will prioritize funding for projects that have net benefits to the ESPA while making water use more efficient.
4. Governor Little will bring together industries and stakeholders to propose solutions to long-term water sustainability because the ingenuity of the private sector is far more desirable in seeking solutions than relying on the government to do so.
5. The Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Groundwater Management Plan Advisory Council will continue to meet to create a Groundwater Management Plan to be submitted for review by the Idaho Department of Water Resources, as required by law, by September 1, 2024.
6. As required by the 2024 agreement, the groundwater users and surface water users will meet to establish an improved mitigation plan as soon as possible, no later than October 1, 2024.

For the full text of Executive Order 2024-06, click HERE.

Not everyone agrees with Governor Little. Brian Murdock, a farmer in Bingham County, takes issue with point #6.

"Here is another reminder of the gun placed against East Idaho's head," he writes. "We must come to some agreement that will please the Twin Falls Canal Company and get the Idaho State Governor off the hook. Mitigation is a voluntary agreement between two water parties. The word voluntary is very important."