05/30/07 Judge hears water case today

A District Court judge in Jerome will hear from the Idaho Water Resources Director today on his decision to order a water curtailment. David Tuthill's scheduled May 14th shutdown was put on hold by Judge John Butler's temporary restraining order. Tuthill had told more than 700 groundwater pumpers in southern Idaho that they would have to shut down their pumps so that senior water rights holders could get the water they are entitled to have. TUTHILL "The senior surface water users to have priority and under Idaho law the department's obligation is to uphold that priority." Late last week the Idaho Surface Water Coalition filed a motion to intervene in the case. That group of canal companies and irrigation districts is concerned that this case could weaken the state's ability to manage its water. Groundwater pumpers say a proposed IDWR curtailment, the largest case in Idaho history, could dry up 38 thousand acres of land in south-central Idaho at an economic loss of 525 dollars per acre. The Idaho Ground Water Appropriators has averted a second curtailment call by working out a mitigation plan that provides replacement water to senior holders in the American Falls area. That curtailment order could have affected more than 46 thousand acres in south-central and Eastern Idaho. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott