Idaho’s Water Shortage Is Here

Idaho is a state that defied logic with its vast irrigation system. Our irrigation system is a model for the world for creating rich farmland out of a desert. That system has now reached its limit with the drought that we're experiencing this Summer. Or is it because we've overdeveloped an area with finite water resources? Or let's blame the snowpack. Could our state one day resemble the deserts around Phoenix, Arizona, where the lawns are of rock and not grass?

The water shortage has begun in Boise, where residents must now find water because their wells have run dry. The wells worked fine when the area was surrounded by farmland. Now residents are buying their drinking water at the store and taking their kids to relatives for showers, reports KTVB.  Yes, development is a good thing, except if you're the poor sap that digs another well through no fault of your own.  

As we reported here, Caldwell is cutting back its supply of irrigation water. The City says it will fine folks who use their indoor water to keep their grass green. Yep, that's how bad it is here. Have we heard from any of our elected leaders? The same leaders that tout growth. They tell us how wonderful the development is in our Treasure Valley. Did any of these brain surgeons comprehend our limited water supply? Is it too much to question the sanity of replacing farmland with rows and rows of homes with lawns that need daily watering?  

We're all losers without a stable water supply. The bigger losers are Idaho Farmers that could lose everything because we've run out of water to feed their crops. When the farmers lose, we all lose through higher food costs. How long will it take for other Treasure Valley cities to follow Caldwell's directive? It's time for Idaho's elected leaders to step up and save our water supply. Unregulated development must be stopped now; otherwise, it's time to start buying lots of rocks for our new lawns. 

You can read more details on the drought and its impact on Idaho here courtesy of the Idaho Statesman.