The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners approved multiple plats submitted by planning and zoning staff and discussed new state guidance on water rights that county staff said could affect future subdivisions.

Planning staff presented DC Acres (one commercial lot), Stone Ridge Subdivision Phase 1 and Teton Heights Division 6 for approval. The board moved and approved the plats by roll call during the planning and zoning portion of the meeting. The Kirkham Estates administrative plat was tabled because the submitted materials lacked a signed canal company agreement and other documentation; staff asked the applicant to provide the missing signature and information before the board would act.

Why it matters: planning approvals alter parcel configurations and establish obligations for water delivery and irrigation assessments. Staff warned commissioners that new guidance from the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) is being applied in ways that may limit the allowed outdoor use for new domestic wells in subdivisions — meaning wells issued under domestic exemptions might be limited to indoor (culinary) use, while mitigation for outside irrigation would require approved surface‑water mitigation filings.

Planning staff advised caution: the board’s planning staff said the Kirkham submission lacked a canal company signature on the irrigation plan and recommended tabling until the canal company signed. For other subdivisions, staff described how water shares or irrigation assessments would be handled. For Stone Ridge, staff noted that 14 shares of Harrison Irrigation Company (5 inches per share, 70 inches total) would be held in the homeowners association name and shared among lot owners.

On IDWR guidance, planning staff and commissioners spent substantial time reviewing the agency’s interpretation. Staff said that under the current guidance any new well associated with a subdivision might receive a domestic well permit that covers only indoor use, and outside irrigation would need mitigation with surface water or a separate groundwater use permit and mitigation plan. Commissioners and staff expressed disagreement with the guidance letter; however staff said they had been told IDWR would enforce the guidance for new wells and subdivisions pending clarification or legislative action. Staff said they would provide commissioners a copy of IDWR’s guidance letter and follow up on needed signatures and mitigation plans for pending plats.

The board also discussed practical measures tied to subdivision approvals — driveway/roadway drainage, right‑of‑way landscaping and the need for survey‑grade staking when utilities or wells are sited — and instructed planning staff to ensure required documents and signatures are complete before bringing plats back to the board.