‘When the river runs short:’ Legislator dives into water woes and solutions at CEI
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Water in Idaho is in short supply and the coming El Niño could make next year even worse.
State Representative Britt Raybould, (R)-Rexburg, recently graduated from Boise State University with her Ph.D. in public policy and administration.
“We just don’t have as much water as we’re used to having, and I think that lack of just the total amount of water is going to be something that is a challenge for all water users in Idaho – not just in East Idaho,” Raybould said.
Her dissertation centered on the competing water rights demands in the Colorado River Basin, which holds valuable lessons for Idaho water users facing similar pressures of scarcity.
Raybould met with farmers and policymakers at College of Eastern Idaho Tuesday to discuss key takeaways and solutions for water users as limited resources are increasingly strained by drought.
“This year was a tough water situation. We came off of one of the lowest-ever snowpacks that we’ve had in the state,” said Adam Young, a wheat, alfalfa and barley farmer in Bingham County. “We came off of I believe it was the warmest winter and early spring that we’ve had on record. There were a lot of concerns that came with that. There were a lot of real struggles. There were things that had to be, that had to be managed or had to be shifted to be able to make it through the year.”
Young said next year is likely to again face higher than normal temperatures, impacting the snowpack.
“When you face multiple years of low snowpack or drought conditions, it’s a very difficult thing to face,” he said.
This pattern of drought pressures water users across the state – particularly those with junior water rights.
“We have to take into account as well that prior appropriation is in Idaho’s Constitution,” Raybould said. “So we need to be respectful of the fact that when someone has a water right, we need to the best of our ability and the system’s capacity to fulfill that right. But we also need to look for avenues that we maybe haven’t considered before that help us find a balance during times of scarcity.”
“In 2026, Snake River flows approached the minimum required by a 1984 Swan Falls agreement for the first time,” she presented.
Implementing any changes to address less water requires the convergence of three factors, she shared:
“A problem you can’t ignore – reservoirs falling, a looming shortage.” “A fix that works – one that is affordable, legal and doable.” “Political will – enough of the right people willing to say yes.”One solution involves addressing users’ fears that if they conserve water, they could lose their water right.
“This is one of, I think, the hidden secrets in water policy that we need to spend more time on. It’s how can we encourage conservation while ensuring that people don’t lose that water right, because that’s important,” Raybould said. “I don’t want people to feel like there is a consequence for having done the right thing by the water system as a whole.”
She urged water users to work collaboratively and see each other’s perspectives to make the hard decisions while facing declining water levels.
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