06/11/07 Water curtailment coming?

Unless ground water users can satisfy senior water rights holders in the Thousand Springs area this week some of them are in danger of having their well pumps shut off. On Friday Idaho Department of Water Resources Director David Tuthill met with the Idaho Ground Water Appropriators, Blue Lakes Trout Company and others in an attempt to come up with a mitigation plan for this irrigation season. TUTHILL "If no solution is forthcoming I'll have no choice but to order curtailment A shutdown order could involve as many 771 agricultural, industrial and commercial users and more than 33 thousand acres of farmland. That hearing Tuthill referred to was requested by both groups, the surface and ground water users, back in 2005. TUTHILL "The hearing process was derailed for a time as the department and the parties in court reviewed the constitutionality of the rules. It was placed back on track on March fifth when the Supreme Court ruled that the rules are indeed constitutional." IGWA says it could be ready for a hearing by July 9th but Tuthill says that's too soon but he does hope to be able to set a date shortly after that. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott