Pending Water Shortage in Washington May be Coming to Idaho

Drought and growing demand create a volatile situation.  In recent summers, we’ve had some serious arguments over water rights in Idaho.  It’s safe to say the resource is under stress.  The people building homes have told me they’re responsible for very little of the draw.  Even if that’s the case, a hungry world demands to eat, and in order to feed people, we need to water crops and livestock.

We Need Some Fast Action to Maintain Farming

There are many times I’m suspicious of government actions, but I think this is one time you have serious concerns among planners.  They use the same resource, and if things get worse on the land, they’ll get worse for bureaucrats and elected politicians.

Now, along comes a story out of Washington, where groundwater users are seeing a serious drop in agriculture’s lifeblood.  We’re not just talking about a drop in inches, but now we’re measuring in feet by the year.  The drop appears to be accelerating.

A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with former Jerome County Commissioner Roger Morley.  He explained that we’ve been seeing a very gradual reduction in precipitation since the early 1980s.  That’s not opinion, but fact.

Can We Gamble That it Will Pass?

Maybe it’s just part of a cycle.  The soil records show we get them from anywhere between 30 years and 200 years.  If this is a long cycle, this is bad news.

A few years ago, I wrote a piece about pumping water from the Great Lakes to the West.  An academic in Chicago bristled at my idea.  My sister lives near one of the Great Lakes.  They have water than they need, and that includes some very soggy summers, which impacts crop production, and not in a good way.

Here’s a proposition for the academics.  You share some water, and we’ll feed you.