08/29/07 Another irrigation shutdown

Idaho is in a dry pattern and has been so most of this decade. Add in some record heat on top last winter's dismal snowpack and that's why the Nampa-Meridian Irrigation district is out of water and shutting down its 500 miles of canals and laterals in the Boise Valley on Saturday. Water superintendent John Anderson says the natural flow, storage water and carryover from last year are gone. Also gone will be water to 69 thousand farmland acres Ada and Canyon counties plus 320 subdivisions that use its pressurized irrigation system. Bureau of Reclamation's Ted Day says situations like this are not unexpected. DAY "Irrigation demands this year have been just extremely high with this early warm spring and extremely hot summer." Day says many of the reservoirs in Idaho had enough carryover water in them to allow near normal deliveries this year. But with the scorching heat and lack of rain, Idaho needs snow this winter. DAY "That's where the big concern is going to be. We're going to need a good winter next year to recover." Nampa-Meridian halted water delivery a little early last year on October 4th and had Anderson not done that the district would have had less carryover water. Anderson says the 22 thousand acre feet he saved last year has been used up this summer. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott