Resident says county road work damaged canal banks, cites Idaho Title 42; county staff to follow up

A resident told the Teton County Board of County Commissioners on May 27 that county road reclamation work near 4000 North (local name 'Hacks Haddle') destabilized canal banks and blocked access to an irrigation ditch, and she urged follow-up action under state water protections.

"The county decided to reclaim their road... they used an auger type thing, and they went down the road. And what happened off of 4000... is that the auger rolled up clods and all kinds of stuff, which made it extremely dangerous for us to get to the canal in order to clean it," said Ida Hansen (self-identified in the transcript as a resident; she said she provided the board Title 42, Chapter 12 materials).

Hansen said photos she provided show banks that were reduced by more than a foot, leaving unstable slopes where a rental backhoe appeared to have dropped into a hole. "In removing all of the grass and all of the root system from that canal, they have made that bank extremely unstable," she said. She told the board county staff had declined to make repairs and that she had been advised to call police and ask the county to clear the canal, but she said volunteers and a 'good Samaritan' with equipment ultimately removed sod and material.

Public works Director Daryl Johnson told commissioners he had tried to call Hansen and had asked staff and the county ditchmaster to look into the site. "Blaine's working with the Ditchmaster. We'll get something worked out," Johnson said.

Hansen cited "Title 42, chapter 12" and told the board she believes water rights are strongly protected in Idaho and that the canal company's responsibility and liability were affected by the work. She encouraged commissioners to visit the site.

Ending: Commissioners asked public works staff to inspect the location, coordinate with the canal company and the ditchmaster, and report back with findings and options to restore safe bank access.