Idaho Water Call Threatens Area economy; Attorneys and Users Fight Back

HAGERMAN, Idaho • A trout farm at the headwaters of Billingsley Creek is holding the Magic Valley economy hostage. The ransom? Nine cubic feet per second of water. If Rangen Inc. doesn’t get that water or agree to other terms, the Idaho Department of Water Resources must shut off groundwater access across 157,000 acres on March 14. In harm’s way are more than 2,300 water right holders: 14 cities, five school districts, irrigators, dairies, Jerome Cheese Co., Glanbia and others. “It is a real personal issue,” said Arie Roeloffs, a Wendell dairyman. “It is just devastating thinking a company like that could hold the whole valley hostage.” “You start shutting down the dairies, and it is a big ripple effect,” said Jerome Mayor David Davis. But this battle over Idaho’s most precious resource won’t be the last. Attorneys for the 14 cities are uniting to fight this water call and more to come...more