Reader,

This is our third email in a series on water and the Lava Ridge project's proposed water usage and potential impacts. If you missed our previous emails, you can read the full article on our website.​

Dave Tuthill, co-owner of Idaho Water Engineering and former Director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and Shawn Willsey, Distinguished Professor of Geology at College of Southern Idaho have kindly shared their expertise to help answer some of the most common questions we've received on water.

Today's Question:

How Does the Water Supply Bank Work?

The water required to support construction activities will not add to the cumulative use of water in the region, drawing instead from previously permitted sources already allocated for use, such as those available through rental from the Water Supply Bank.

According to the Idaho Department of Water Resources, "the Water Supply Bank is a water exchange program operated by the Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB; Board), through the Director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR), in association with water districts and IWRB-appointed local rental committees, to facilitate the acquisition and voluntary exchange of water rights, for new and supplemental water uses."

In other words, water rights can be leased from a willing seller near the project area. The seller would pause their water usage for the two-year period to allow for the needed water for construction.

Leasing water from a willing seller is not a new incremental use.

"This aquifer supports the irrigation of hundreds of thousands of acres. Specifically, 200,000 irrigated acres in Jerome, Lincoln, and Minidoka counties," said Tuthill. "This project needs 150 acre-feet per year for two years of construction - a total of 300 acre-feet. That's equal to pausing water use on 75 acres of farmland for two years. It's minimal."

Water will be used for civil construction tasks like developing roads and work areas, dust abatement, reclamation, and batching concrete for turbine foundations. Once in operation, the project will have minimal ongoing water requirements. Water usage would be below the de minimis threshold established under Idaho water law.

Wind energy projects are an excellent investment in regions sensitive to water supply constraints thanks to their minimal water requirements that allow facilities to be constructed and operated sustainably for the long term.

Best,

Luke
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