State lays out plan to halt aquifer’s steady decline

The water levels of eastern Idaho’s massive aquifer continue to plummet.

To combat the troubling trend, state officials have proposed setting up an East Snake Plain Aquifer groundwater management area.

The goal is to formulate a plan where farmers and other groundwater users within an expanded boundary line would be subject to limitations on how much they consume. Instead of reacting haphazardly to water cutbacks demanded by senior downstream surface water users, officials say the idea behind a groundwater management area would be to address the health of the aquifer itself.

“The water calls have led to crisis management, and (we) would like to work toward a more comprehensive management system,” Idaho Department of Water Resources Director Gary Spackman said in a statement. “We are looking to find ways to manage the (East Snake Plain Aquifer) in a more proactive fashion.”

Read more: http://www.postregister.com/articles/featured-news-daily-email-west/2016/07/22/state-lays-out-plan-halt-aquifer%E2%80%99s-steady-decline