For the second year in a row, Idaho farmers will have ample water to keep their fields watered this season.
At a meeting last week in Boise, water managers took stock of the snow season – noting that most river basins are at or above their annual snowpack. According to the Capital Press, the meeting marked the end of the accumulation season, as their focus now turns to irrigation of the thousands of acres of agricultural land across the state.
Another good water year means less likelihood for conflict between users and the possibility of carryover capacity to next year.
Even the Owyhee River Basin in the southwest corner of the state – which is below one-third its average water level – should have enough stored to last through the growing season. March was a big month – but early April rain and snow helped too. The best precipitation totals are in North Central Idaho in the Clearwater Basin, while the Boise Basin is approaching 100 percent capacity.
Find reporter Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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