Our Mission
To serve Idahoans by ensuring their water is conserved and available to sustain Idaho’s economy, ecosystems, and resulting quality of life.
Our Vision
To achieve excellence in water management through innovation, efficiency, planning, and communication.
Our Commitment
- Sustain Idaho’s Water Resources for the public good.
- Serve our customers responsively and timely.
- Balance competing interests consistent with Idaho law.
- Be forward-looking and innovative.
- Deliver uncompromising ethical behavior.
- Communicate early, honestly, and completely.
- Return to the taxpayer an honest day’s time and effort.
Consistent with its original legislative purpose (see Idaho Statues Title 42), the Idaho Department of Water Resources administers water rights, approves or denies applications to appropriate water or change existing water rights, facilitates the adjudication of water rights, maintains and archives water right records, and oversees the delivery of water in times of shortage.
To orderly distribute natural water resources, the Department creates water districts, led by an elected watermaster who measures and distributes water within the district. The Department ensures the accurate and fair administration of water rights by collecting information and data on water resources, developing water use accounting tools, assessing the hydrologic impact of water diversions, and predicting future water supplies.
To promote the conservation and sustainable development of Idaho’s water resources, the Department works hand in hand with the Idaho Water Resource Board. The Department lends its administrative and technical support to the Board’s projects, programs, and initiatives to manage and enhance surface water supplies, stabilize or recover aquifers across the state, and invest in water infrastructure projects intended to protect, improve, and secure Idaho’s water resources for the benefit of the citizens of the state and future generations.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Regulation and inspection of dams and mine tailings impoundment structures
- Groundwater protection and well construction oversight
- Permitting and regulation of stream channel alterations
- Coordination with local communities to comply with the National Flood Insurance Program.
The Department’s director is appointed by the Governor, and the agency is divided into bureaus and sections organized around specific areas of responsibility.
The four Bureaus within IDWR are: the Water Allocation Bureau, the Water Compliance Bureau, the Planning and Projects Bureau, and the Technical Services Bureau. The Department also has four regional offices in Boise, Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho Falls, and Twin Falls, and two field offices in Salmon and Preston.
Each year, IDWR strategically plans performance commitments to asses progress towards agency goals. Strategic Plans are based on the state fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) and outline agency objectives and performance metrics over a 4-year period. Strategic Plans are published in early July with the start of the new fiscal year.
IDWR FY2024 Performance Report
The Performance Report is a summary of the Department’s achieved metrics over the previous 4-fiscal years and identifies performance targets for the upcoming fiscal year. The metrics listed in the Performance Report are identified benchmarks in the Strategic Plan. Performance Reports are published in the first part of September, following the start of the new fiscal year on July 1st.
The Director’s Annual Report is a detailed overview of the Department’s accomplishments listed in the Performance Report and other significant activities, and any challenges encountered in meeting a strategic objective. The Director’s Annual Report is published each year prior to the start of the Legislative session in January.
For questions regarding IDWR’s Strategic Plan, Performance Report, and the Director’s Annual Report, please contact IDWR’s State Office at (208) 287-4800 or email IDWRinfo@idwr.idaho.gov.
Executive Team
