Deirdre White; ASDWA The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has released its new national bulletin on “Refining Source Water Protection Local Priorities for FY 2024.” The purpose of the bulletin is to provide an opportunity for NRCS State Conservationists to work with partners (including state source water protection programs) to update the high priority source water protection (SWP) areas in each state. This bulletin is issued each year to refine the areas and continue to implement the provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill that requires NRCS to dedicate at least 10 percent of its conservation program funds for source water protection. State source water protection programs are encouraged to contact and continue working with your NRCS State Conservationists office and State Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) and/or the source water…
By Seth Ratliff; Local News 8 IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Organized mayhem at Tautphaus Park as fifth and sixth graders gather for the Water Awareness Week Festival. The event was put on by the Department of Environmental Quality to teach kids the importance of water while having an explosive good time. "The hopes is that they can they can see how fun science is," DEQ scientist Rick Jensen said. "Understanding the special properties that water has and that it really is a special resource and worth preserving." The festival included presentations and activities from the National Weather Service, Idaho Departments of Environmental Quality, Water Resources, and Fish & Game and more. "It's really effective for us to come and reach a lot of kids at once..." Fish and Game…
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…
By Mia Maldonado; Idaho Capital Sun The U.S. Geological Survey announced it will soon begin measuring groundwater levels across southern Idaho, according to a Monday press release. Survey employees working with the Idaho Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation will measure groundwater levels in more than 1,400 private and public wells in the eastern Snake River Plain between April 3-14. The region’s aquifer is the area’s primary source of drinking water and irrigation for 1 million acres of farmland in the state aquaculture industry, according to the news release. The collected data will help water experts understand the status of the aquifer ahead of the irrigation season, and the IDWR will use the data to improve its computer model of the aquifer. Water technicians collect aquifer measurements…
By Carol Ryan Duman; Capital Press After years of water supply shortages and drought, basins in southeastern Idaho have received well above normal precipitation this winter. Not only are all basins well above normal for precipitation and snow water equivalent, but recent snowfall has brought record to near-record snow depths as well, the Natural Resources Conservation Service reported in its March 1 Water Supply Outlook report. “With over a month to go in the snow accumulation season, there is plenty of time for more snow to fall in this already impressive water year,” NRCS hydrologists said. Since the last report, snowpack percentages compared to the 30-year median snowpack slightly increased in the Panhandle, Clearwater, Salmon Falls and Willow-Blackfoot-Portneuf basins and decreased in the rest of the state. “In other words,…
Tue, Mar 21, 2023 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM MDT EPA’s Office of Water’s Source Water Protection (SWP) team will be presenting on two tools: The Drinking Water Mapping Application to Protect Source Waters (DWMAPS) and the Funding Integration Tool for Source Water (FITS). In addition, there will be a brief overview of the background and concepts of source water protection. Both tools were developed by the SWP Program and can be used either independently or in tandem by many stakeholders for their source water protection needs. DWMAPS incorporates layers from other EPA programs and federal agencies that inform users of potential sources of contamination, land use trends, ongoing source water protection projects and collaborations, and more. Webcast participants will learn how to utilize spatial data from DWMAPS and upload…
By Carolyn Komatsoulis; Idaho Press Mores Creek and the Robie Creek region is seen from the road above the canyon east of Boise on Feb. 9, 2022. The last two years have seen drier-than-normal springs. Jake King/Idaho Press Love was in the air on Tuesday, and so was snow, at least in Boise and the Treasure Valley overnight. It’s likely that the state could buck the trend of drier consecutive La Niña winters, something that hasn’t happened since the 1950s in the part of Idaho south of the Salmon River. But that doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed. “We’re off to a nice snowy day today and we should have gotten some decent precip up in the mountains last night,” said David Hoekema, Idaho Department of Water Resources hydrologist. “We’re likely to…
Contact: MaryAnna Peavey, Grants and Loans Bureau Chief The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced the award of $51,335,442 in construction grants to six drinking water and wastewater systems. These construction projects are funded from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that Governor Brad Little directed to DEQ in 2022. “Water is our most valuable resource, and we absolutely must keep up the infrastructure to ensure water is clean and plentiful for this generation and future ones. That is why we made historic investments in water quality and quantity this year as part of my ‘Leading Idaho’ plan,” Governor Little said. “These investments also could keep your property taxes low. Property taxes are determined locally but the investments we made in water and other infrastructure needs at the state…
WATERSHED WEEKENDS Free family fun! Go with the flow to the WaterShed every third Saturday of each month from 10AM – 1PM for fun activities the whole family can enjoy! No pre-registration required. BLOCKFest™ SATURDAY, March 18th - FREE ACTIVITIES 10 AM – 1 PM Join us today for free STEM activities at BLOCKFest™ building stations. KEVA® planks, large foam blocks, small counting cubes and more will be available around the exhibit hall for children of all ages to build and play. You can also create fun mosaic art inspired by the blocks and cubes. Finally, enjoy our River Campus water feature as it's turned back on for the season!
Celebrate Drinking Water Week this year on May 7-13, 2023! Recognizing Drinking Water Week is an easy way to educate the public and connect with the community.
