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Idaho water agencies brief House committee on groundwater, cloud seeding and an agency merger
Summary
Directors from the Department of Water Resources and the Idaho Water Resources Board updated the House Resources & Conservation Committee Feb. 11 on ESPA, cloud seeding, the IDWR–SWCC merger and Treasure Valley groundwater conditions; a water treatment plant tour was scheduled Feb. 19.
Mathew Weaver, Director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and Jeff Raybould, chairman of the Idaho Water Resources Board, briefed the House Resources & Conservation Committee on Feb. 11 about a range of water issues affecting the state.
Weaver reviewed IDWR priorities including budget and funding for the new Water Administration Bureau, Water District activities, Surface Water Coalition delivery and an Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Area of Common Ground Water (ACGW) update. He described current Treasure Valley groundwater conditions and referenced Idaho’s claims under the Bear River Compact. Weaver also discussed a pending merger between the IDWR and the Soil and Water Conservation Commission (SWCC) and answered committee questions throughout his presentation.
Raybould, representing the Idaho Water Resources Board, outlined ongoing programs including a State Water Plan review, an ESPA CAMP revision and the IDWR cloud-seeding program. The board chair noted program progress and responded to member inquiries.
Ken Burgess of Veolia Water invited committee members to a Feb. 19 water treatment plant tour, offering transportation and a one-hour itinerary that would return attendees to the Capitol by 3:00 p.m.
These updates were presented as informational agency reports to the committee; no formal committee action on the water programs was recorded in the minutes.
