Thursday April 18, 2024
Spokane Public Radio —
Idaho’s water supply is sufficient, with parts of North Idaho being the exception, according to state water experts.
In an Idaho Water Supply Committee meeting Friday, water experts discussed Idaho’s water supply levels, highlighting that while most parts of Idaho started out the winter with weak snowfall and rain, snow in March and early April across southern Idaho brought many basins closer to normal snowpack conditions.
With the snow melting and rivers rising, irrigation supplies for farming and ranching are expected to be sufficient in southern Idaho. In places like Owyhee County, the water supply is better than average, and there is a supply for the next two years.
Erin Whorton, a water supply specialist at the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said during the meeting that wet spring conditions helped bring up water supply levels to normal, especially in the southern part of the state.