New Water Agreement Protects Idaho Ag

After months of negotiations, Idaho farmers reached a new water agreement that puts our agricultural future first.

Our districts are pleased to usher in a new agreement that is respectful to the needs of all farmers. We have always said that a new agreement needs to do two things: protect our shared Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer and not dry up eastern Idaho farmland to do it. This agreement accomplishes both goals and incentivizes farmers to find new ways to support one another.

During this process, water users across Idaho came together to protect our state's most valuable resource.

The updated mitigation plan meets two critical goals I've stressed from the start:

Protecting our Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer

Keeping eastern Idaho farmland productive.

This agreement gives farmers tools to support one another while maintaining control of our water - keeping it in Idaho hands, not federal ones.

The state has committed substantial resources to water quantity investments - over half a billion dollars in the past three years, plus an additional $10 million this summer for aquifer health. These funds, combined with our new agreement, put Idaho agriculture on solid ground.

While the individual water users will share specific details, this agreement proves that Idaho farmers can work together to solve complex problems. We've created a path forward that protects water rights while keeping our agricultural economy strong.