Idaho Irrigation Districts Reducing Deliveries By 12-33% This Growing Season As Drought & Depletion Do Their Thing

With farmers entering an important part of the irrigation season, members of the Idaho Surface Water Coalition say they are reducing water deliveries and usage due to a historically low snowpack, a depleted aquifer and drought emergency.

The water that farmers and communities need “simply is not there,” the Idaho Surface Water Coalition said in an announcement Thursday that details how members of the coalition are reducing their own water by up to 33% compared to normal water allocations.

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“Our members are facing deep cuts to each of their water supplies, which in turn is leaving everyone who relies on our water working hard to stretch their supply,” Hansten added. “Farmers are already having to decide what fields to abandon to make it through the summer. The impacts of this very real drought already equate to lost crops and lost income and will be felt in our towns, our businesses, our grocery stores and around kitchen tables across Idaho and our nation.”

The Idaho Surface Water Coalition was formed in 2005 by a group of canal companies and irrigation districts. Collectively, the coalition’s members are responsible for delivering water from the Snake River to about 550,000 acres of farmland in Idaho, the coalition said. The water coalition said the water shortfall is forcing the Twin Falls Canal Co. to reduce its water delivery by 33.3% this year, while the North Side Canal Co. and American Falls Reservoir District No. 2 are each reducing their water by 20% this year. Additionally, the Minidoka Irrigation District is reducing its water delivery by 15% this year, while the Milner Irrigation District is reducing water by 12%.

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https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/06/12/idaho-surface-water-coalition-says-severely-needed-water-supply-simply-is-not-there/