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(WATER SCENIC WITH POWERFUL NATURAL SOUND)
>>BRUCE REICHERT: IN IDAHO, WATER FLOWS WEST FROM THE
MOUNTAINS.
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY AND A HALF, THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTS
TO CONTROL THIS PRECIOUS RESOURCE.
>>KLAREN KOOMPIN: IT'S WATER THAT DICTATES WHERE PEOPLE
SETTLE THE WEST AND HOW THEY SETTLE THE WEST.
>>REICHERT: WITH THOSE EFFORTS HAVE COME NOT ONLY THE PHYSICAL
STRUCTURES BUT ALSO A LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR DETERMINING
WINNERS AND LOSERS.
>>KEVIN LEWIS: WHO WAS FIRST, WHO WAS SECOND, WHO HAS PRIORITY
OVER SOMEBODY ELSE.
AND THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT WILL GO ON...YOU KNOW, FOREVER.
>>REICHERT: IN GOOD WATER YEARS, ALMOST EVERYONE'S A WINNER.
BUT LATELY, THOSE GOOD WATER YEARS HAVE BEEN IN SHORT
SUPPLY, LEAVING THE EXPERTS TO SEARCH FOR ANSWERS.
>>JOHN TRACY: THE GROUND WATER MAY BE THERE TO BE PUMPED BUT IT
MAY BE IMPACTING SURFACE WATER RIGHT HOLDERS AND THAT'S WHERE
THINGS GET RATHER TRICKY AND THE LEGISLATURE HAS HAD TO STEP IN
AND ADJUST SOME RULES.
AND THAT'S A RATHER CONVOLUTED AND COMPLICATED CONVERSATION.
>>REICHERT: WHAT CAN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT TELL US ABOUT
THE FUTURE OF WATER IN IDAHO?
>>ROCKY BARKER: IT'S GOING TO BE HOT, IT'S GOING TO BE BURNING
UP IN THE SUMMER, OUR RUNOFFS ARE GOING TO COME EARLY - WE'RE
GOING TO RUN OUT OF WATER BEFORE THE END OF AUGUST.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A COMPLETELY NEW ARRANGEMENT WITH
THE EARTH.
>>REICHERT: OUTDOOR IDAHO EXPLORES THE WAY FORWARD.
>>ANNOUNCER: FUNDING FOR OUTDOOR IDAHO IS MADE POSSIBLE BY...
>>REICHERT: MARK TWAIN ONCE WROTE THAT WHISKEY'S FOR DRINKIN
AND WATER'S FOR FIGHTIN.
WATER IS INDEED A SUBSTANCE INFUSED WITH EMOTION, EVEN
RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE.
LET'S FACE IT, WATER IS THE KEY TO THE FUTURE OF THE WEST.
HI, I'M BRUCE REICHERT AND WELCOME TO OUTDOOR IDAHO.
YOU KNOW, JOHN WESLEY POWELL ALSO WROTE ABOUT WATER.
MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO HE WARNED ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN
THAT THE SCARCITY OF WATER WOULD ONE DAY PILE UP A HERITAGE OF
CONFLICT.
TURNS OUT, THAT CONFLICT IS MORE THAN JUST TWO SIDES ARGUING IN A
COURTROOM.
SOMETIMES IT PLAYS OUT IN DRAMATIC FASHION.
SOUTHERN IDAHO IS A DESERT, WITH MILES OF UNDEVELOPED SAGEBRUSH
STEPPE.
IT WAS THE PROMISE OF FREE LAND THROUGH THE HOMESTEAD ACT THAT
BROUGHT MANY EARLY SETTLERS OUT WEST.
BUT THOSE EARLY SETTLERS HAD A ROUGH TIME MAKING A LIVING OFF
THE LAND.
>>ROCKY BARKER: I FIND IT A BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE.
BUT IT'S ALSO A HARSH LANDSCAPE.
IT'S NOT A PLACE THAT'S EASY FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE.
THAT'S WHY THE EARLY FARMERS CALLED IT RECLAIMING WHEN THEY
IRRIGATED IT.
AND IT HAS TURNED INTO A MIX OF BOTH AN INDUSTRIAL IRRIGATED
LANDSCAPE AND THIS STILL WILD NATURAL ARID DESERT.
>>REICHERT: EARLY SETTLERS SOON REALIZED THE MILES OF PARCHED
GROUND NEEDED WATER.
AND FARMERS AND RANCHERS FOUGHT FOR LAND ADJACENT TO RIVERS AND
STREAMS.
>>JOHN TRACY: JUST LOOK AT A LANDSAT IMAGE OF IDAHO AND YOU
SEE THIS GREAT SWATH OF RED ACROSS THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN AND
YOU NOTICE THERE IS MORE FLAT ARABLE LAND THERE THAN THERE IS
CROPS BEING GROWN WHICH IS AN INDICATION, WE'RE WATER LIMITED
AND THAT'S THE ENTIRE WESTERN UNITED STATES.
>>REICHERT: THIS VISUAL IS A LESSON IN WATER MANAGEMENT.
THE IDAHO DESERT IS ONLY PRODUCTIVE FOR FARMERS AND
RANCHERS IF THEY HAVE ACCESS TO WATER.
IT LITERALLY MEANS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND
DEATH.
>> KLAREN KOOMPIN: IT WASN'T A VERY HOSPITABLE PLACE.
>>REICHERT: KLAREN KOOMPIN IS A THIRD GENERATION POTATO FARMER
FROM AMERICAN FALLS.
KOOMPIN FARMS OWNS AND CULTIVATES MORE THAN 9-THOUSAND
ACRES.
WHEN HIS GRANDFATHER STARTED FARMING, WATER LAW WAS IN ITS
INFANCY.
BACK THEN, WATER OWNERSHIP WAS ENFORCED WITH THE BARREL OF A
GUN.
>> KLAREN KOOMPIN: THAT'S WHY GRANDPA BOUGHT THE GUN WAS TO
PACK ON THE DITCH WHEN WE WENT AND CHECKED HIS WATER - BECAUSE
EVERYBODY WAS SPLITTING THE WATER IN THE DITCHES OFF THE
CULVERTS.
I THINK WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING OVER WATER FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.
AND WE'RE STILL FIGHTING OVER IT; ONLY INSTEAD OF GUNS TODAY,
WE USE LAWYERS.
AND THAT'S GOING ON AS WE SPEAK.
>>REICHERT: SOME IDAHO CANALS LIKE THE NEW YORK CANAL IN BOISE
WERE FUNDED THROUGH GROUPS OF INVESTORS IN THE LATE 1800'S.
BUT TO BUILD LARGE RESERVOIRS AND DAMS PROVED TOO COSTLY FOR
THOSE EARLY SETTLERS SO THEY TURNED TO THE GOVERNMENT.
IN 1902, THE FORMATION OF THE UNITED STATES RECLAMATION
SERVICE UNDER THE RECLAMATION ACT WAS IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO
THE NEED FOR WATER DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WEST.
>>JERROLD GREGG: THE FOLKS BACK THEN DIDN'T HAVE THE FINANCIAL
MEANS TO BUILD A LARGE RESERVOIR LIKE ARROWROCK OR ANDERSON RANCH
TO THEN TAKE IN ADDITIONAL SAGEBRUSH LAND AND TURN THAT
INTO PRODUCTIVE FARM LAND.
>>REICHERT: JERROLD GREGG IS THE SNAKE RIVER AREA MANAGER OF THE
RENAMED U-S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION.
THE MONEY AND TENACITY OF THE NEW SERVICE WAS SUPPORTED BY
PRESIDENT TEDDY ROOSEVELT WHO UNDERSTOOD THE FUTURE OF THE
WEST WAS DEPENDENT ON WATER.
>>JERROLD GREGG: OUR PREDECESSORS WERE VERY GOOD
ENGINEERS, A LOT OF THEM CAME FROM THE MINING COMPANIES AND
THEY SURVEYED OUT ALL THE CANALS AND LATERALS AND THEN USED STEAM
SHOVELS AND HORSES TO BUILD THESE CANALS.
>>REICHERT: THE RECLAMATION SERVICE ALSO BUILT DAMS AND
RESERVOIRS TO FUNNEL WATER TO LAND SEPARATED FROM RIVERS.
IT COST BILLIONS OF DOLLARS BUT TODAY THE BOISE PROJECT ALONE
CREATES ALMOST TWO BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR IN ECONOMIC VALUE
TO THE REGION.
>>KLAREN KOOMPIN: ME AND YOU WOULDN'T BE STANDING HERE TODAY
IF OUR FOREFATHERS DIDN'T HAVE THE FORESIGHT TO IRRIGATE THE
DESERT.
BECAUSE I TELL YOU, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO VERY FAR FROM
HERE ABOUT SEVEN MILES AND WE'RE IN THE DESERT.
>>REICHERT: IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE WE REALIZED, WATER USERS
THEMSELVES NEEDED MORE THAN JUST PHYSICAL STRUCTURES;
THEY NEEDED A METHOD OF DIVIDING UP THE WATER.
IN IDAHO THAT'S COVERED IN TWO PARTS.
THE IDAHO CONSTITUTION SUPPORTS WHAT IS KNOWN AS PRIOR
APPROPRIATION.
>>KELLY COBURN: UNDER A PRIOR APPROPRIATION BASED SYSTEM, WHEN
THERE IS NOT ENOUGH WATER TO GO AROUND TO EVERYBODY WHO HOLDS A
RIGHT AND AT THIS POINT, THERE USUALLY ISN'T ENOUGH IN ANY
GIVEN GROWING SEASON.
THEY HAVE TO SET A CURTAILMENT DATE AND SO THEY SAY ANY
PRODUCER OR ANY WATER RIGHTS HOLDER WITH A PRIORITY DATE
PRIOR TO SAY 1932 GETS THEIR WATER WHERE AS PEOPLE WITH A
PRIORITY DATE AFTER 1932 ARE NOT GOING TO GET THEIR WATER.
>>REICHERT: OFTEN REFERRED TO AS "FIRST IN TIME - IS FIRST IN
RIGHT" IT GIVES WATER USERS A RANKING SYSTEM.
THE STATE CONSTITUTION ALSO LISTS WHICH WATER USERS HAVE
PRIORITY.
DOMESTIC USERS LIKE TOWNS AND CITIES AND MINING INTERESTS ARE
REGARDED HIGHER THAN AGRICULTURE AND MANUFACTURING.
THE SECOND PART OF THE EQUATION IS THE STATE WATER PLAN,
DEVELOPED BY THE STATE WATER BOARD.
THE PLAN CREATES PRIORITIES, A TEMPLATE FOR WATER MANAGERS TO
MEET CURRENT AND FUTURE NEEDS.
>>ROGER CHASE: IT'S CRITICAL TO THE STATE'S FUTURE TO HAVE THAT
WATER PLAN.
THERE ARE LOTS OF REASONS.
NUMBER ONE IS THAT WATER IS A FINITE RESOURCE.
IF WE DON'T HAVE A WATER PLAN, IF WE DON'T DEFINE WHAT WE ARE
GOING TO DO WITH OUR WATER, THE SHORTAGE OF WATER IN THE
WEST, WITH STATES LIKE OREGON AND WASHINGTON AND NEVADA ARE
GOING TO COME AND SAY IDAHO DOESN'T HAVE A PLAN TO USE THEIR
WATER AND THEY WILL GO TO COURTS AND THEY WILL GET INJUNCTIONS TO
TAKE IDAHO'S WATER AND USE IT IN THEIR STATES WHERE THEY HAVE
ESTABLISHED A USE FOR IT.
>>REICHERT: KEVIN LEWIS REPRESENTS IDAHO RIVERS UNITED.
HE HELPED DRAFT REVISIONS TO THE STATE WATER PLAN.
THE FIRST CHANGES TO THE PLAN IN TWO DECADES.
>>KEVIN LEWIS: IT SHOULD BE A LIVING DOCUMENT BECAUSE THINGS
WILL CHANGE, PRIORITIES WILL CHANGE AND SO YOU KNOW, YOU
SHOULD REVISIT THE PLAN I WOULD SAY AT THE LATEST, EVERY TEN
YEARS.
>>REICHERT: AFTER YEARS OF NEGOTIATION, THE PLAN WAS
SUPPORTED BY ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, STATE WATER MANAGERS AND
BY WATER USERS THEMSELVES.
BUT INCLUDED IN THE REVISION TO THE STATE WATER PLAN, A LINE
THAT RECOGNIZES CHANGES IN CLIMATE KNOWN AS CLIMATE
VARIABILITY.
SOME LAW MAKERS WEREN'T HAPPY WITH THAT SECTION OF THE PLAN
AND TRIED TO INTRODUCE THEIR OWN VERSION.
THAT DIDN'T SIT WELL WITH SOME.
>>KEVIN LEWIS: IF YOU REMOVED THE WHOLE SECTION ON CLIMATE
VARIABILITY - YOU ARE BASICALLY JUST DENYING REALITY.
THAT'S NOT VERY SMART.
OTHER PROGRAMS THAT LOOK LIKE IT WOULD BE BEEN CUT WOULD HAVE
BEEN POLICIES THAT TALKED ABOUT RIPARIAN HABITAT AND THAT SORT
OF THING.
I THOUGHT IN THE END THAT EVERYBODY MADE SOME COMPROMISES.
I-R-U DIDN'T GET EVERYTHING WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN A PLAN AND
OTHER PEOPLE DIDN'T GET WHAT THEY LIKED TO SEE IN A PLAN.
THAT'S HOW YOU DEVELOP THESE PLANS, IT'S COMPROMISE.
>>REICHERT: WHEN WATER IS SCARCE, THE STATE WATER PLAN AND
PRIOR APPROPRIATION HELP REGULATE WATER USE.
AND IN YEARS OF DROUGHT, CREATE WINNERS AND LOSERS WITH SERIOUS
IMPLICATIONS FOR AGRICULTURE.
POTATO FARMERS LIKE KLAREN KOOMPIN MUST SELF REGULATE
WATER USE.
FOR NOW, NEW TECHNOLOGY LIKE SPRINKLER PIVOTS IS REPLACING
FLOOD IRRIGATION AND ITS HELPING KOOMPIN FARMS DO A LOT MORE WITH
LESS.
>>KLAREN KOOMPIN: WE CAN RAISE MORE TODAY THAN WE EVER HAVE.
OUR POTATOES TODAY ARE WAY BETTER THAN THEY WERE 40 YEARS
AGO YIELD WISE, WE'RE DOING IT WITH LESS WATER.
>>REICHERT: IN THE PAHSIMEROI VALLEY IN A NARROW STRIP OF
PRIME FARM LAND IN CENTRAL IDAHO FARMERS ARE LEARNING A LESSON IN
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.
>>TED O'NEAL: THERE IS NO WATER HERE BECAUSE OF THE IRRIGATION.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO DAM THE PAHSIMEROI RIVER OFF TO GET OUR
DECREED RIGHTS FILLED AT THIS TIME OF YEAR.
>>REICHERT: RANCHER TED O'NEAL IS IN THE PROCESS OF CONVERTING
HIS FIELDS FROM FLOOD IRRIGATION TO SPRINKLER PIVOTS
IN ORDER TO REDUCE HIS WATER USE.
DROUGHT AND COMPETITION FOR WATER MEANS THAT SECTIONS OF THE
PAHSIMEROI RIVER SIMPLY DISAPPEAR EVERY SUMMER.
JIMMY DOWTON SR. HAS ALREADY ADOPTED SEVERAL
CONSERVATION PRACTICES INCLUDING SPRINKLERS.
THE RESULT IS, HE CAN KEEP MORE WATER IN THE PAHSIMEROI RIVER.
BUT DOWTON SAYS HE NOTICED LESS WATER ON THE FIELD MEANS LESS
WATER RECHARGING THE UNDERGROUND AQUIFER.
>>JIMMY DOWTON SR: WHEN WE USED FLOOD IRRIGATING, WE PUT
HUNDREDS OF INCHES OF WATER, HUNDREDS OF C-F-S OF WATER OUT
ON THAT GROUND AND YOU COULD GO DOWN AND SEE SPRINGS COME UP BUT
YOU DON'T SEE THAT, YOU DON'T SEE THAT NOW.
AND THAT'S WHAT GOT ME CONCERNED IS RECONNECTING THESE STREAMS.
>>JOHN TRACY: EFFICIENCY HAS A VERY POSITIVE VALUE ASSOCIATED
WITH THE WORD.
AND SO WHEN YOU THINK SHOULD WE BE MORE EFFICIENT, OF COURSE WE
SHOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT.
YES THEY DID ULTIMATELY USE LESS WATER PUTTING IT ON THE CROP
BUT WHEN YOU DO THE MATH YOU FOUND OUT THERE WAS LESS WATER
INFILTRATING THE GROUNDWATER AND LESS WATER AVAILABLE FOR THE
WETLANDS AND SO THEY STARTED HAVING A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH
WETLANDS DRYING UP.
>>REICHERT: THIS CONSEQUENCE LED TO A LEGAL FIGHT BETWEEN
IRRIGATORS AND THOSE WHO PUMP WATER FROM THE AQUIFER.
SURFACE WATER USERS, THOSE IRRIGATORS WHO PUMP WATER
FROM CANALS AND RIVERS, BLAMED WELL PUMPERS FOR A
DWINDLING WATER SUPPLY AND SCIENCE SEEMED TO BACK THEM UP.
IT WAS A COMPLICATION THAT ENDED WITH NEW MANAGEMENT RULES IN
1992 KNOWN AS CONJUNCTIVE MANAGEMENT,
REQUIRING GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER TO BE MANAGED
TOGETHER.
>>JOHN TRACY: SO MOST STATES HAVE HAD TO RECOGNIZE THAT
SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND
THAT THE WATER RIGHTS TO SOME DEGREE HAVE TO BE CONJUNCTIVELY
ADMINISTERED.
>>REICHERT: THE FIRST PLAN TO MANAGE SURFACE AND GROUND WATER
TOGETHER BEGAN IN 1987 TO COVER THE EASTERN SNAKE RIVER PLAIN
AQUIFER, PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT AQUIFER IN THE STATE.
IT COVERS MORE THAN 10,000 SQUARE MILES FROM ST. ANTHONY TO
HAGERMAN.
ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF LAKE ERIE.
IT TOOK MORE THAN TWO DECADES AND IS STILL A SORE POINT FOR
SOME.
THAT SAME PROCESS IS UNDERWAY IN CENTRAL AND NORTH IDAHO.
TO FURTHER COMPLICATE THE ISSUE, IN 2007 THE IDAHO SUPREME COURT
ADDED FLEXIBILITY TO "FIRST IN TIME IS FIRST IN RIGHT".
IT DETERMINED THAT SENIOR WATER RIGHTS MUST BE BALANCED AGAINST
THE BEST ECONOMIC USE.
THE COURT GAVE THE IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES
THE POWER TO DETERMINE WHAT THAT BEST USE IS.
THAT OFTEN MEANS NOT ENOUGH WATER TO MEET THE DEMAND.
>>JOHN TRACY: WHETHER IT'S REALITY OR PERCEPTION EVERYBODY
FEELS THAT IF ANYTHING CHANGES THEY ARE GOING TO BE NEGATIVELY
IMPACTED SO THEY ARE GOING TO FIGHT THE CHANGE.
AND THAT'S WHEN YOU GET TO THAT POINT OF CONFLICT.
>>REICHERT: LESS SNOW IN THE WINTER MEANS LESS SNOW PACK TO
PROVIDE FRESH WATER FLOWING IN RIVERS ALL SUMMER LONG.
THAT MEANS LESS WATER TO DIVIDE UP AMONG THE MANY USERS BY
AUGUST.
>>JOHN ABATZOGLOU: CLIMATE REALLY DEFINES US AS IDAHOANS
AND CLIMATE PROVIDES A TEMPLATE FOR A LOT OF THE RESOURCES, OUR
WATER RESOURCES, OUR LAND RESOURCES, FORESTRY,
AGRICULTURE, ENERGY, TOURISM, RECREATION.
ALL THOSE REALLY COME BACK TO WATER IN THE END.
>>REICHERT: HOW MUCH AND WHEN THE WATER FALLS FROM THE SKY IN
ANY GIVEN YEAR HAS SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR EVERYONE IN THE
STATE.
SCIENTISTS LIKE JOHN ABATZOGLOU AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO IS
LOOKING AT SOME INTERESTING CHANGES IN IDAHO'S CLIMATE.
HIS RESEARCH MODELS PREDICT A POTENTIAL 7 TO 10 DEGREE
TEMPERATURE INCREASE IN POPULATED AREAS OF IDAHO BY THE
END OF THIS CENTURY.
>>JOHN ABATZOGLOU: SUMMER TEMPERATURES OF McCALL WOULD BE
A LOT LIKE THE CURRENT SUMMER TEMPERATURES ARE TODAY IN BOISE.
AND FOR BOISE, IF WE CONSIDER WHAT THE SUMMER TEMPERATURE
MIGHT LOOK LIKE IN BOISE BY THE END OF THE 21ST CENTURY
AND IF WE THINK ABOUT WHERE WE WOULD HAVE TO GO TODAY TO FIND
SUMMER TEMPERATURES LIKE THAT, WE WOULD HAVE TO GO QUITE SOME
DISTANCE, THOUSANDS OF MILES OF MILES AWAY, OUTSIDE THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST.
>>REICHERT: MOLLY WOOD WITH THE U-S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY IS TESTING
STREAM FLOW ALONG THE SALMON RIVER NEAR WHITEBIRD, IDAHO.
THE U-S-G-S DOESN'T HAVE ANY WATER MANAGEMENT DUTIES,
BUT THEY DO PROVIDE VALUABLE DATA ABOUT THE WATER FLOWING
DOWNRIVER.
MOLLY AND HER COLLEAGUES USE STREAM GAUGES TO DETECT
TRENDS IN RUNOFF, TEMPERATURE CHANGES AND EVEN THE QUALITY OF
WATER.
>>MOLLY WOOD: THOSE KINDS OF TRENDS ARE IMPORTANT FOR US TO
BE ABLE TO MANAGE OUR WATER RESOURCES IN IDAHO.
IF WE KNOW THAT STREAM FLOW IS DECLINING BECAUSE OF SOME LAND
USE CHANGE OR SOME CLIMATE CHANGE OF SOME KIND,
THEN WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE OUR WATER RESOURCES
ACCORDING TO THAT AND UNDERSTAND WHY THAT'S HAPPENING.
SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO COLLECT LONG PERIODS OF DATA.
>>REICHERT: GREG CLARK WITH U-S-G-S EXPLAINS WHAT THEY
HAVE NOTICED IN THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES.
>>GREG CLARK: WE CAN SEE SINCE THE '60S AND '70S THAT THE WATER
IS COMING OFF EARLIER AND IT'S MELTING IN THE MOUNTAINS QUICKER
STATISTICALLY IT'S COMING OFF ABOUT 3 WEEKS EARLIER THAN IT
HAS BACK IN THE MIDDLE PART OF THE CENTURY.
>>REICHERT: THIS CHANGE IN RUNOFF MEANS THAT DOZENS OF
STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT MANAGE WATER WILL HAVE TO ADAPT
IN ORDER TO MEET EXPECTATIONS.
A JOB EASIER SAID THAN DONE.
ONE OF THOSE AGENCIES IS THE FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY.
IT ENFORCES THE CLEAN WATER ACT AND ALSO HAS A HAND IN
REGULATING THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT.
>>JIM WERNTZ: OUR POPULATION IS LARGE AND GROWING AND YOU KNOW
WE CAN'T JUST TAKE OUR RESOURCES FOR GRANTED.
WE HAVE TO ACTIVELY MANAGE AND PROTECT THEM.
>>REICHERT: THE E-P-A RELEASED NEW RULES FOR SUCTION DREDGE
MINING IN 2013.
THIS FRAMEWORK MEANS RECREATIONAL MINERS CAN USE A
5-INCH INDUSTRIAL VACUUM TO MOVE SEDIMENT OFF THE BOTTOM OF A
RIVER.
THESE MODERN DAY MINERS LIKE RICK EDDY ARE LOOKING FOR SMALL
QUANTITIES OF PRECIOUS METALS.
>>RICK EDDY: YOU'RE IN A WHOLE DIFFERENT WORLD DOWN THERE.
NOBODY BOTHERS YOU, THE FISH LOVE YA, YOU SEE ALL KINDS OF
THINGS THERE AND MOVE ROCKS AROUND, IT'S JUST A THRILL AND
YOU SEE GOLD IT'S LIKE IT WILL GIVE YOU GOLD FEVER.
>>REICHERT: MINING PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE.
BUT THERE IS CONCERN ABOUT WHAT SUCTION DREDGE MINING DOES TO
WATER QUALITY.
>>JIM WERNTZ: EVEN THOUGH IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE
RIVER BY DISRUPTING THE SUBSURFACE OF THE RIVER IT CAN
HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON AQUATIC LIFE AND IN PARTICULAR THE
CONCERNS ARE FOR SALMON REDDS OR STEELHEAD REDDS, ESSENTIALLY THE
NESTS THAT FISH USE -
AND SO WE WENT THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
CONSULTATION TO DETERMINE WHICH RIVERS COULD REMAIN OPEN AND
WHICH NEEDED TO BE CLOSED TO THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY.
>>REICHERT: THE RESULT IS, THE E-P-A CLOSED THE ENTIRE SALMON
RIVER TO THIS MODERN PROSPECTING IN 2013 WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF
A NEW PERMIT.
WERNTZ SAYS HIS AGENCY DETERMINED THAT THE SALMON RIVER
SHOULD BE CLOSED TO PROTECT ENDANGERED SALMON LIKE CHINOOK
AND SOCKEYE.
BUT NOT EVERYONE WAS HAPPY WITH THE NEW RULES.
>>JIM WERNTZ: I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY A LOT OF THEM DON'T WANT
TO HAVE THE GOVERNMENT IN THE BUSINESS OF REGULATING THEM OR
REQUIRING A PERMIT.
EVEN THOUGH IT'S A FREE PERMIT IT'S STILL IS SOMETHING THEY
HAVE TO HAVE TO DO THEIR ACTIVITY.
>>REICHERT: THE PERMIT DOES MEAN THAT SUCTION DREDGE MINING WILL
CONTINUE IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE STATE.
THAT'S NOT THE CASE IN CALIFORNIA AND OREGON WHERE
SUCTION DREDGE MINING IS BANNED ENTIRELY.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OR D-E-Q
MONITORS THE HEALTH OF IDAHO'S RIVERS ACROSS IDAHO.
THE DATA IS COLLECTED AT WATER QUALITY MONITORS - THIS ONE IS
ON THE TETON RIVER IN EASTERN IDAHO.
SINCE THE PASSAGE OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT 40 YEARS AGO, RIVER
HEALTH HAS IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY.
>>TROY SAFFLE: AT THE END OF THE DAY YOU'LL FIND THAT THE CLEAN
WATER ACT WHILE BEEN BUMPY, BY AND LARGE HAS BEEN PRETTY
SUCCESSFUL FOR STAKEHOLDERS AND RESIDENTS, IF NOT SOMETIMES
INDIVIDUAL PRODUCERS.
>>REICHERT: THE BOISE RIVER NOW ATTRACTS THOUSANDS OF VISITORS
EACH SUMMER.
GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN BIG INDUSTRIAL BUSINESSES DUMPED
WASTE DIRECTLY INTO THE RIVER.
THE E-P-A AND THE STATE'S D-E-Q HAVE TURNED THEIR ATTENTION TO
SMALLER SOURCES OF POLLUTANTS.
FOR INSTANCE, FERTILIZER FROM FARMS LOCATED NEAR RIVERS CAN
SOMETIMES END UP IN THE WATER.
MANAGING THIS TYPE OF RUNOFF, KNOWN AS NON-POINT SOURCE
POLLUTANTS ISN'T EASY OR POPULAR AMONG SOME IN IDAHO.
>>JIM WERNTZ: THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE DISAGREEMENTS ON
WHAT'S IMPORTANT AND WHAT'S A PRIORITY, THAT'S JUST THE NATURE
OF THE BUSINESS.
>>REICHERT: MOST STATES HAVE THE ABILITY TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN
PERMITS UNDER THE CLEAN WATER ACT.
BUT IDAHO FINDS ITSELF SUBJECT TO FEDERAL OVERSIGHT.
>>MICHAEL MACINTYRE: IDAHO DOES NOT HAVE PRIMACY FOR THE CLEAN
WATER ACT PROGRAM, THERE'S ONLY CERTAIN PARTS AND PIECES THAT WE
HAVE.
THE APPROVAL ULTIMATELY LIES WITH THE E-P-A.
>>REICHERT: THAT CAN SLOW PROGRESS AND CAN LEAD TO
DISAGREEMENTS.
STATE LAWMAKERS HAVE DISCUSSED TAKING OVER MANAGEMENT, MOST
RECENTLY IN 2012.
BUT THE PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS A STATE TO DEVELOP POLLUTION
DISCHARGE PERMITS IS EXPENSIVE.
THE E-P-A PROVIDES THE SERVICE FOR FREE, BUT IF THE STATE TAKES
OVER THE MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PROGRAM, THE COST WOULD HAVE TO
BE CARRIED BY THE STATE.
AND WHILE THAT CHALLENGE IS PLAYING OUT, IDAHO FACES ANOTHER
CONCERN: MORE COMPETITION FOR ITS WATER.
>>JERROLD GREGG: THIS AREA IS GROWING FAST, THEY PREDICT BY
2025 THERE WILL BE A MILLION PEOPLE IN THE VALLEY.
WHEN I CAME HERE IN '87 THERE WAS 200,000 PEOPLE IN THE VALLEY
SO ALL OF THAT GROWTH WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND WATER FOR
THOSE FOLKS.
>>REICHERT: THE U-S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION CHANGED ITS MISSION
SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1902.
TODAY THE AGENCY MANAGES THE WATER BEHIND THE DAMS AND WATER
FLOWING IN RIVERS AND CANALS.
THE AGENCY WILL BE PART OF A LARGER EFFORT TO REGULATE WATER.
AS DEMAND GROWS, EXPECT EVEN MORE CONFLICT AS PREDICTED BY
JOHN WESLEY POWELL MORE THAN 100 YEARS AGO.
>>JOHN TRACY: THERE HAS TO BE THIS MINDSET OF UNDERSTANDING
THAT IF I'M COMING IN NEW TO AN AREA AND I'M ANTICIPATING TO USE
WATER, YOU HAVE TO CONSCIOUSLY THINK OF WHO WAS USING THIS
WATER BEFORE.
>>REICHERT: IN MANY WAYS, EVERY DROP OF WATER IS SPOKEN FOR.
EVEN THE ALLOWED TO FLOW DOWNRIVER.
STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS DEMAND SOME WATER REMAIN IN THE RIVER
TO PROTECT THREATENED AND ENDANGERED FISH SPECIES.
THERE ARE FISH ACCORDS WITH AMERICAN INDIAN TRIBES, PROMISES
THAT MUST BE KEPT TO ALLOW THE TRIBAL MEMBERS TO FISH AND TO
MANAGE THEIR OWN FISH HATCHERIES LIKE THE NEZ PERCE SALMON AND
STEELHEAD PROGRAMS.
WATER ITSELF HAS HAD AN ALMOST RELIGIOUS MEANING TO THE TRIBE.
>>CHARLES AXTELL: FIRST THING BEFORE THE SALMON, IMPORTANCE
TO THE TRIBE IS THE WATER AND THEN THE FISH.
AND THAT'S HOW THEY LIVED.
>>REICHERT: THEN THERE IS THE INTERNATIONAL TREATY WITH CANADA
THAT HELPED PREVENT FLOODING IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN.
THE 1964 COLUMBIA RIVER TREATY PROVIDED DAMS AND FLOW
MANAGEMENT IN CANADA TO PREVENT FLOODING DOWNRIVER IN OREGON
AND WASHINGTON.
THE TREATY EXPIRES IN 2024 AND IT IS UNKNOWN IF IT WILL BE
REPLACED WITH A NEW TREATY THAT ALSO ADDRESSES NEW CONCERNS LIKE
ENDANGERED FISH.
BUT WHILE THERE IS CONCERN FOR WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS, THERE IS
EVIDENCE THAT IDAHO WILL BE BETTER OFF THAN OTHER WESTERN
STATES IN CASE THERE IS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED RAIN AND
SNOW IN THE FUTURE.
>>ROCKY BARKER: WE ARE NOWHERE NEAR AS SHORT OF WATER AS THE
SOUTHWEST.
SO IDAHO WILL HAVE TO REDISTRIBUTE, WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO USE OUR WATER BETTER.
AND THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN CONSERVATION BUT IT WILL INCLUDE
CONSERVATION.
50 YEARS FROM TODAY, IDAHO IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE A BOUNTY OF
WATER IN THE WEST AND THAT'S GOING TO BRING TO IDAHO ALL
KINDS OF OPPORTUNITIES.
YOU KNOW, IDAHO HAS BECOME A WINE GROWING STATE,
WE NOW CAN GROW GREAT RED WINES.
WHEN I MOVED TO IDAHO IN THE 80's, THEY COULDN'T.
THEY COULD ONLY GROW WHITE WINES BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER
CONDITIONS.
SO CLIMATE CHANGE, ADAPTING DOESN'T NECESSARILY ALWAYS MEAN
BAD THINGS.
>>REICHERT: OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON HOW WE MEET THE NEW
CHALLENGES AHEAD.
ODDS ARE, IT WON'T BE EASY.
>>ROCKY BARKER: OVER HISTORY, IDAHOANS HAVE FOUND A WAY TO
LIVE TOGETHER AND TO SHARE THEIR WATER AND I THINK THAT WILL
HAPPEN AGAIN.
IT'S JUST GOING TO TAKE UNDERSTANDING ON EVERYBODY'S
PART AND YOU KNOW IT'S ALSO GOING TO TAKE LOOKING FOR WAYS
THAT WE CAN MAKE THIS RESOURCE GO FURTHER FOR EVERYBODY.
>>ANNOUNCER: FUNDING FOR OUTDOOR IDAHO IS MADE POSSIBLE BY...
ALL OUTDOOR IDAHO PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
INCLUDING HOUR-LONG SPECIALS.
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