10Oct 2023 by Nicole Rinaldi

Land use changes by Boise have been big. Why that is causing ‘a major problem’ for wells

Idaho News
By Max Stevenson; Idaho Statesman Beneath the high desert of the Treasure Valley lies a complex aquifer. Below-ground water levels are changing in response to the shifting uses of land at ground level. Urbanization has replaced farm fields with subdivisions and commercial centers, reducing how much water flows into the ground through irrigation. These rapid changes have begun to lower the Boise area’s water table, causing problems for some rural homes that rely on well water. Dennis Owlsey, a hydrogeologist with the Idaho Department of Water Resources, stood before a screen one day this summer, looking at a map showing the conversion of farmland to development. “You don’t need to run any fancy statistics just to visually see it’s a major problem,” Owlsey said. ‘Flood irrigation’ adds to groundwater Western…
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04May 2023 by Nicole Rinaldi

Rainstorms are moving into Boise. Will there be more flooding? Here’s what to expect

Idaho News
By Shaun Goodwin; Idaho Statesman Boiseans have been spoiled the past few days with temperatures in the 80s and no rain, but good things never last forever. Starting Thursday and continuing through Saturday afternoon, about half an inch of rain is expected to fall in the city, and high temperatures will drop to the mid-60s over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. “We’re going to be kind of unstable (Thursday) and we could be seeing some thunderstorms,” Chuck Redman, a meteorologist in Boise, told the Idaho Statesman. “And then the main low-pressure system itself, the main weather maker, is going to be coming over us on Friday.” Redman expects a consistent and dreary pattern for Boise, while the mountains north of the Treasure Valley will be subject to…
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27Dec 2022 by Nicole Rinaldi

About Facebook Kuna’s power, water, tax incentives, employees, roads — and urban renewal

Idaho News
By Margaret Carmel; BoiseDev Proposed data center for Meta Platforms Inc. in Kuna, Idaho. Via Meta Facebook’s parent company Meta announced this week it’s bringing a new data center to town and with it came a slew of questions. Two years after Governor Brad Little signed legislation giving a tax break for data centers, Meta announced to great fanfare its plans to bring a facility to Kuna and bring 1,200 jobs and water infrastructure with it. But, how will this project impact industrial growth east of Kuna? What will Meta’s promised water project look like? Here’s what we know (and don’t know) so far. Water, water, water There are still a lot of unanswered questions about Meta’s promise to “add more water than we consume” to Boise’s watershed. Aaron Scheff,…
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21Dec 2022 by Nicole Rinaldi

EPA Announces $263 Million WIFIA Loan to Boise, Idaho to Modernize Wastewater Infrastructure and help recharge the Boise River water supply

Idaho News, National News
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $263 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the City of Boise, Idaho, to support its Water Renewal Services Capital Investments Project. With this WIFIA loan, EPA is helping the City of Boise improve wastewater treatment processes to protect the Boise River’s water quality and ultimately recharge the drought burdened Boise River with high quality effluent. “Maintaining and upgrading water infrastructure is essential for the health of a community like Boise, which is a fast-growing city struggling with drought,” EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox said. “Thanks to this WIFIA loan, the City of Boise can upgrade wastewater treatment technology to better safeguard the Boise River and even help recharge its water supply while providing good-paying jobs.”…
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17Oct 2022 by Nicole Rinaldi

Boise to test new technologies that could remove PFAS from wastewater before it’s reused

Idaho News
By Angela Kerndl; Idaho News BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — The city of Boise will be testing new technologies for treating industrial wastewater, which could remove PFAS before it's reused. It's part of the city's proposed recycled water program. The city's conducting a pilot project in January. The basis for its recycled water program is - pulling water from existing or future industries, sending it to a separate dedicated facility, then using advanced water treatment. The city has discussed using that water for groundwater recharge or returning it to industry. The city has been working on its plans for a recycled water program for almost two years. “Our best day is that the community is proud of this - they understand the climate offset and the support for kind of climate…
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28Feb 2022 by Nicole Rinaldi

Drought, low snowpack may foretell Idaho’s future

Idaho News
Idaho Statesman Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area, Boise, ID. Much of Southern Idaho, cut through in scythe like fashion by the Snake River Plain, relies on the frozen water stored in the state’s mountains to fill its rivers. When winter ends and summer’s broiling heat arrives, it is these snowy peaks that serve as the state’s reservoir, filling the Salmon, Snake, Big Lost, Boise and other tributaries with cold, clear water. But as the amount of snowfall declines, with scientists citing the effects of climate change as a key contributor, major problems arise for the state’s ecosystems, residents and agriculture industry. And that erosion is already underway. By the turn of the century, Idaho could see reductions of 35%-65% of its snowpack, according to a study published in Nature Reviews…
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