Big Wood Canal Co. to turn off water

It’s been another hot and dry summer and the crops throughout southern Idaho have been taking a lot of water.  Some areas are better off than others but the Times News reports that for the second year in a row, the Big Wood Canal Co. will shut off Magic Reservoir early.  Big Wood Canal Manager Lynn Harmon says the water will be turned off either today or tomorrow.  That not only shuts off water to the thirsty crops but also requires firefighters to travel farther to get water to fight the fires.  Fish below Magic Dam in the Richfield Canal are expected to die as flow drops and water temperatures increase so the department has issued a fish salvage order effective Sunday through Nov. 1.  A full irrigation season on the canal system normally ends Oct. 1, but growers are lucky when they get water as late as mid-September.  After last year’s early shutoff, most prepared for this spring by planting short-season crops such as oats for silage.