03/22/06 Keys looks to future water storage

John Keys is retiring in mid-April from the Bureau of Reclamation. As commissioner he pushed to implementing the 2025 water plan. In 2004 and 2005 his agency put up 14.5 million dollars in grants which were leveraged into 60 million dollars worth of water projects that will produce 250 thousand acre feet of water each year. But Keys says one of the biggest challenges his successor faces is an aging infrastructure. KEYS "A lot of our projects were built in the early part of the 20th Century. A lot of them are approaching 100 years old. Keeping them going and find ways to fund their repair and maintenance is a large challenge. We have been working with members of Congress trying to get a loan guarantee program going that would help some of those districts with the money that they need to make those repairs." Keys says a report is due this coming September looking at potential sites for more water storage in the Snake River basin. He expects some feasibility studies to follow. KEYS "I don't know which ones it might be right now but I think you'll see some. You'll also see a major repair at Minidoka Dam. I think you'll see future work with the water bank there. That water bank in Idaho is an absolute model for the Western United States." Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott