|
Become a friend of the Klamath Bucket Brigade All donations are tax deductible |
|
This Website is Dedicated to Alvin Alexander Cheyne January 10, 1921 - June 17, 2005 |
Water storage options weighed
Eight potential sites targeted for more study by
state
By DAVE WILKINS
Capital Press Staff Writer
June 1, 2007
Improved storage is one of the long-term solutions offered by Idaho officials when they
discuss the state’s water problems.
Construction of new reservoirs or increasing the storage capacity of existing reservoirs
could help the state capture more water during good years, they argue.
A thorough cost/benefit analysis of some proposed storage projects may be moving
closer to reality.
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, introduced a water storage bill (S 542) in February that’s been sent to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
The bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies on
water storage projects in the Boise and Payette river systems.
It also allocates $3 million toward the cost of the studies.
The notion of improving Idaho reservoir storage capacity has been discussed for many years.
Gov. Butch Otter is a strong supporter of the idea.
So is Dave Tuthill, who in April was appointed by Otter to be director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources.
Idaho needs to make better use of water during good, highflow years than it has historically, Tuthill said in a recent interview.
He pointed to the large quantity of water that spilled over Shoshone Falls last year as an
example of a wasted opportunity during a good water year. “If we can do a better job
of capturing the surplus in times of plenty, there will be more in times of scarcity,” Tuthill
said.
Craig’s bill would clear the way for feasibility studies to be conducted of eight potential
water storage sites identified by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in a study released
last summer.
After screening more than 200 potential sites in the Boise and Payette river basins, the
agency narrowed the list to eight of the most promising “areas of opportunity.”
The identified projects include new off-stream storage facilities that could capture
50,000 to 400,000 acre feet of water, depending on
the site.
Another possibility is raising the height of some Boise River dams, a move that could
add an additional 6,300 acre feet to Lucky Peak and Arrowrock reservoirs and 29,000
acre feet to Andersen Ranch.
Dredging Cascade Reservoir could add 50,000 acre feet of storage capacity to that facility, the study found. Idaho is still a long way from implementing any of the identified storage projects.
Craig’s bill would provide federal funds for the feasibility studies, but water users would also have to step up to the plate.
The feasibility studies authorized in the bill require a 50 percent cost share from future
beneficiaries of the project.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and educational purposes only. For more information go to:http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and educational purposes only. For more information go to:http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml