05/17/07 Shutdown order number two

The Idaho Department of Water Resources Director David Tuthill has issued his second notice of a potential curtailment of ground water pumping. IDWR's Hal Anderson says the director has told junior water rights holders that he intends to issue orders on May 24th requiring a shutdown. ANDERSON "We have not received a satisfactory mitigation plan from the junior water right holders for the American Falls call by the Surface Water Coalition so the director basically had no choice saying that unless there's mitigation for this year that he would have to issue curtailment orders." The mitigation plan calls for 58 thousand acre feet of water from the junior right holders. If issued the curtailment order could affect ground water rights on 46 thousand acres that includes 700 ground water rights for irrigation, commercial, industrial and municipal users. ANDERSON "It's almost the entire eastern Snake plain. It excludes what we call the Rexburg bench area and the Hagerman area." A similar curtailment order for the Thousand Springs area is on hold until a District Court judge conducts a hearing on May 30th. These warning letters are a continued response to the 2005 water deliver calls made by seven organizations known as the Surface Water Coalition. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott