Idaho water officials defend spending plan, request 5 admin positions and $30M ongoing for projects

The Idaho Department of Water Resources outlined its 2026 budget request to the joint legislative budget committee, noting large committed balances in its water management account, continued spending of ARPA funds for statewide water projects and a request to add five full‑time positions to create a Water Administration Bureau.

The agency’s budget analyst, Janet Jessup of Legislative Services, told the committee the department had received a one‑time $50 million ARPA allocation and a separate $50 million that was made ongoing; she said the department and its board have committed most of the cash in the water management account. “If you read down through that balance sheet…that cash balance at the end of the last calendar year was $320,000,000,” Jessup said, and the board’s committed fund total is “$290,000,000 so that leaves us with an uncommitted fund balance of about $29,000,000.”

Why it matters: Committee members pressed for assurance that the governor’s $30 million ongoing recommendation would be targeted and that the board would bring clear project lists and timelines before the legislature. Several legislators expressed concern about establishing a recurring appropriation without a defined, vetted set of projects and asked for follow‑up…