Boise, ID – Governor Brad Little commented today on the progress of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA) Groundwater Management Area (GWMA) Advisory Committee to create consensus-driven solutions that meet the needs of Idaho water users.

The advisory committee is tasked with crafting a groundwater management plan for the Eastern Snake Plain to improve the aquifer's long-term health.

The committee met Wednesday to consider the next steps toward developing a plan that will sustainably manage the critical groundwater resource to meet farmers’ current needs while also ensuring the valuable resource will survive to meet the water needs of future generations.

"I am pleased to see the Groundwater Management Plan Committee continue to do the hard work necessary to find a long-term solution. The committee has met regularly after my Water Summit last summer, and I appreciate all the stakeholders who have continued to dedicate time to this effort. As I have said before, Idahoans and farmers working to find sustainable solutions creates the best opportunity for water certainty. We want water users, not the government or the courts, to determine our destiny," Governor Little said.

Governor Little signed Executive Order 2024-06, the Protecting Idaho Water Sovereignty Act, in June to build on past actions and provide water certainty to generations of Idahoans. The order requires the advisory committee to submit a new Groundwater Management Plan to the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) by Sept. 1, 2024.

To build on the progress made on Wednesday, the committee agreed to meet again Aug. 2, 2024, to continue developing the plan.

"I was there with the Groundwater Management Plan Advisory Committee Wednesday, and while we are facing many difficult realities, I am pleased to see our farmers putting aside their differences to work toward a common goal," Lt. Governor Scott Bedke said. "I was especially happy to see that various parties stayed long after the meeting was formally adjourned to talk and work out more details. That is always a good sign, and I look forward to more conversations as we work to reach a long-term solution."

IDWR will review groundwater management plans submitted by stakeholders to help create a product for implementation in the 2025 irrigation season.

The parties to the long-standing Surface Water Coalition Delivery Call will meet next Wednesday to craft a new mitigation plan to address injury from junior ground water pumping on senior surface water users.

The Governor’s executive order calls for the parties to submit the revised mitigation plan by October 1, 2024.

In combination, the ESPA Ground Water Management Plan and the new and improved mitigation plan will create long-term water stability and economic certainty for Idahoans who rely on the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer.