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Senate draft asks federal action and transfer of Camas refuge to state to restore irrigation flows to Mud Lake
Summary
Sen. Burton Shaw presented RS32652 asking Congress to expedite permitting to clear a channel through Camas National Wildlife Refuge and to transfer management of the refuge to the state Mud Lake Wildlife Management Area to enable clearing and restore irrigation water flow.
Sen. Burton Shaw (R‑LD31) presented RS32652, a draft addressing water obstruction in a channel that carries irrigators’ water through the Camas National Wildlife Refuge to Mud Lake.
Shaw showed maps and described a problem he said had become acute after a 2024 settlement agreement: debris, sand and vegetation have obstructed the roughly five‑mile channel between the refuge and Mud Lake, leading to substantial recharge losses. Shaw said, by way of example, that 40,000 acre‑feet put into the refuge yielded 10,000 acre‑feet out the other side; irrigators then must pump an additional estimated 30,000 acre‑feet from the ground to make up the loss.
RS32652 asks Congress to speed permitting so the channel can be cleaned and also requests that the federal government convey the refuge to the state Mud Lake Wildlife Management Area, which Shaw said would allow local management (Idaho Department of Fish and Game currently manages wildlife) and quicker action on channel maintenance. Senators asked about potential fiscal impacts if the federal government were to transfer management; Shaw said he had no estimate and noted refuge pumping infrastructure and staffing costs would be factors.
A motion to introduce RS32652 carried.
