Water resources officials seek staff, ongoing funds to expand recharge and administration

At a legislative budget hearing, the Idaho Department of Water Resources told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee it needs five new full-time positions to create a Water Administration Bureau and requested ongoing funds to support statewide water projects and recharge efforts.

The department’s director, Matt Weaver, and Idaho Water Resource Board Chairman Jeff Raybould described a portfolio of ongoing projects funded with a mix of state and federal dollars — including ARPA state fiscal recovery funds — and said the board has committed most of the cash in the water management account.

The request for five positions would create a bureau to pair with about 11 existing staff who now work on water administration, Weaver said. “Prior to this request, we had grown from 2 and a half FTEs, to about 11 FTEs department wide,” Weaver said. The new positions would include a bureau chief, technical records staff and other support to meet demand for creating and supporting water districts around the state.

Why it matters: lawmakers pressed agency leaders on whether additional staff would grow government or were essential to implement the Eastern Snake Plain settlement and manage more real-time measurement and administration of wells and water districts.