Idaho files Bear River adjudication petition
SODA SPRINGS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK)-The state of Idaho filed a petition Friday asking the 5th District Court to begin adjudicating 4,700 known water rights in the Bear River Basin. The legal process will review and confirm all existing water rights in the Bear River Basin, Malad River Valley and the Curlew Valley within Idaho. Before it is through, state officials expect a total of about 14,000 water claims to be filed.
Under adjudication, older, undocumented water rights can be documented, according to the Idaho Department of Water Resources. It also reaffirms existing permits and licenses, removes unused water rights from the records, and helps the state better manage water resources.
Bear River follows a course from Utah, into Wyoming and Idaho, and then back into Utah, terminating in the Great Salt Lake. The river enters Idaho from Wyoming and supplies water to Mud Lake and Bear Lake, then flows north past Montpelier, Georgetown, and Soda Springs. It then moves south past Grace and Preston and flows into Utah near the town of Cornish.
Under adjudication, all water rights held by private property owners, local, state and federal governments, and utilities will be reviewed. The state’s petition gives water users the option of deferring the filing of small domestic and stock water claims.
Before the Department can take claims and make its recommendations in the Adjudication, the court must first make certain findings and issue a commencement order. An initial hearing has been scheduled March 4. At that time, the court will decide whether it will proceed with the adjudication process.
You can learn more about the entire process here.
