05/24/07 American Falls water curtailment postponed

The Idaho Department of Water Resources Director David Tuthill says a plan presented by the Idaho Ground Water Appropriators means that he can postpone his own call for curtailment of water from the American Falls area. The curtailment notices to 760 irrigation, commercial, industrial and municipal users covering more than 46 thousand acres were supposed to be sent out today. TUTHILL "The Idaho Ground Water Appropriators have agreed to purchase or otherwise acquire enough storage water to maintain the water rights for senior surface water users. The reservoirs are nearly full right now. This is a good year for storage water in the Upper Snake Basin so there is water available for purchase or lease." The warning letters are part of a continuing response to water delivery calls made in 2005 by the seven water delivery organizations known as the Surface Water Coalition. TUTHILL "We'll be monitoring this summer to see what the actually flows are that are available to the water users and there's a daily accounting that's done as well." There is still a potential curtailment pending on the Thousand Springs area but that was put on hold by a District Court judge pending a hearing in Jerome County next week. Water calls and curtailment orders can satisfy the director's duty under Idaho law to administer water rights in accordance with the prior appropriation doctrine. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott