Committee backs memorial to study rebuilding Teton Dam and other water storage projects

Representative Rod Furnas presented Senate Joint Memorial 101, which urges renewed federal and state study of water storage projects in Idaho, including the possibility of rebuilding the Teton Dam and evaluating alternatives such as Raisin/Island Park, Minidoka or Jackson Lake improvements.

Furnas framed the memorial as a long-term water‑security measure for farmers, communities and businesses and recounted personal memories of the original Teton Dam failure and its local impacts. He said the original dam held roughly 200,000 acre-feet and that revisiting storage options could reduce risks experienced in recent dry years.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about which projects were under consideration; Representative Pickett asked about the other project referenced in the draft, and Representative Raybould identified Raising/Island Park Dam as one of the alternatives mentioned in department materials. Representative Miller and others urged broad consideration of aquifer recharge and storage across the Upper Snake Plain.

Representative Raymond and others spoke in support of pursuing shovel‑ready projects and water-storage alternatives. A motion to send the memorial to the floor with a do‑pass recommendation carried on a voice vote. The committee requested a correction to a fiscal note typographic error in the memorial paperwork (the fiscal note referred to an "amendment" and should refer to a "memorial").

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Send Senate Joint Memorial 101 to the floor with a do‑pass recommendation. Mover: Representative Raymond. Outcome: Approved (voice vote; exact tallies not specified).

Ending

The memorial will head to the floor with a do‑pass recommendation. Committee discussion highlighted both local historical impacts from the original Teton Dam failure and the desire to examine multiple water-storage options statewide, including aquifer recharge strategies for the Snake River Plain.