Elmore-Ada Water Project eyes three sites

Limited water availability means limited land and economic development on desert land between Boise and Mountain Home, but a recently completed study identifies alternatives for boosting water availability.

“Narrowing the site of development down to these three alternatives is a major step toward the goal of providing a long-term sustainable water supply to this area,” Bob Taunton, project manager of the Elmore-Ada Water Project,  said in a release. “We look forward to involving the public and gathering the best available information so that decision makers can be fully informed about the project.”

The project’s next step involves completing an environmental impact statement to select a preferred alternative.

The yearlong study identified three sites along the Snake River and associated pipeline alignments as alternatives to determine the feasibility of bringing a sustainable water supply to specific, undeveloped areas of Elmore and Ada counties. Study results show that that the Elmore-Ada Water Project is feasible in terms of water rights, technical and financial factors and the concept has broad support among stakeholders, project officials said.

All three alternatives involve withdrawing un-appropriated Snake River water in non-irrigation periods, water treatment, and underground storage, known as aquifer storage and recovery, for peak demand periods in summer. Water intake and pipelines could be developed north of the Snake River near Swan Falls, C.J. Strike Reservoir or south of Mountain Home.

The area evaluated in the feasibility study, between Boise and Mountain Home along the I-84 corridor, has been limited in terms of land-use opportunities and economic development due to minimal groundwater availability. The goal of the Elmore-Ada Water Project is to identify water resources before growth is initiated and to provide a consistent water source to this area that can support existing landowners and enable the potential for economic growth, project officials said.

Taunton said in an interview that all three sites have existing agricultural intakes in the general area, suitable topography for installing pumping equipment and piping from the river to the top of the ridge, and existing road access nearby. The study concluded that there is un-appropriated water in the Snake River that leaves Idaho in the winter, over and above existing minimum-flow requirements and other senior water rights, he said.

A public / private coalition of municipal providers and landowners provided nearly $1.2 million for the feasibility study. URS Corp. last summer worked with the Elmore-Ada Water Project on behalf of landowners and other participants, including the city of Mountain Home, to investigate all potential environmental issues surrounding the Elmore-Ada Water Project.

Elmore-Ada Water Project LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SPF Water Engineering, a Boise-based engineering company specializing in water supply, water rights, and water facility design, construction and operations. The Elmore-Ada Water Project was formed in August 2007 with a long-term goal to bring a sustainable water supply to certain areas of Elmore and Ada counties and to enable Idaho to keep water resources in the state for the benefit of Idaho residents, project officials said.