The 2008 Legislature approved House Bill 428 and House Bill 644 establishing the Statewide Comprehensive Aquifer Planning and Management Program (Idaho Code § 42-1779) and the Aquifer Planning and Management Fund (Idaho Code § 42-1780). This legislation authorized characterization and planning efforts for ten different basins from 2008 through 2018.
The Comprehensive Aquifer Planning and Management Program was designed to provide IWRB and IDWR with the necessary information to develop plans for managing groundwater and surface water resources into the future. The program had two phases:
- a technical component to characterize the surface water and groundwater resources of each basin
- a planning component to integrate the technical knowledge with an assessment of current and projected future water uses and constraints
At the culmination of this program, the intent was to develop long-range plans for conjunctively managing the water resources of each basin by integrating hydrologic realities with the social needs. These water management plans were designed to address water supply and demand issues looking out 50 years into the future, and investigated strategies which will lead to sustainable water supplies and optimum use of the water resources.
