Urban-rural interests squabble over water Neighbors across the West have squabbled over water and who gets to use it since the first irrigation ditches were dug. While many of those decades-old disagreements continue, more and more farmers and ranchers find themselves arguing with urban neighbors. At the height of the development boom, three or four years ago, 1,800 acres a year of prime agricultural land was being converted to urban uses in the Treasure Valley. The Magic Valley and eastern Idaho also saw urban growth. A few irrigation districts in Idaho, including the Post Falls Irrigation District in North Idaho, have become totally urbanized and have either dissolved or changed focus. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, 109 canals throughout the Pacific Northwest are defined as urbanized. Of those, 42 deliver 200 cubic-feet-per-second or more, 23 deliver between 100 and 199 cfs and 44 deliver less than 100 cfs. That creates plenty of potential for conflict, as participants in a summit on agricultural-urban water issues learned....