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Committee presses county on water supply, well depths and plan to compile groundwater studies
Summary
Committee members asked whether existing analyses prove the aquifer can support new subdivisions; staff cited nutrient‑pathogen studies for large plats, well‑depth averages (40–60 feet seasonally), DEQ review letters and plans to aggregate existing studies with IDWR data for a countywide analysis.
Water availability and groundwater protection dominated several exchanges as the group considered how many new homes the Greater Rigby area could support.
"We have wells that average between 40 feet and 60 feet," Josh told the group when summarizing a nutrient‑pathogen study related to a proposed Hunter Chase subdivision, and he added that the county forwards such studies to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality for review. He summarized the DEQ response: "DEQ sends us a letter saying that that there's no chance of, contaminating the groundwater." (transcribed remarks).
Committee members asked whether those site‑by‑site studies had been compiled to form a regional picture. Josh said monitoring wells exist, the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) is engaged, and staff plans to aggregate prior nutrient‑pathogen and well‑monitoring reports into a database for cross‑project analysis using AI tools being piloted by the county. He cautioned that some deeper or more expensive studies may be required to answer countywide trends and that outside contracts could raise costs.
