Water Rights Administration Overview
IDWR manages water in the State of Idaho through water allocation and distribution processes. Want to know how water is distributed in the 98 active water districts in Idaho? Read below for more answers!
Adjudication
ADJUDICATION
An adjudication is a court action for the determination of existing water rights which results in a decree that confirms and defines each water right. The purpose is to catalog and confirm through the court all water rights and to which property those water rights belong.
Administrative Basins
IDWR has divided the state into over 50 administrative basins to coordinate water management activities. Each basin is assigned to one of the four IDWR regions. Use the Administrative Basins, Regions, and Office Locations Map to find your administrative basin, region, and IDWR office.
Northern Region Basins: 03, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98
Western Region Basins: 02, 03, 51, 55, 57, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 77, 78, 79
Southern Region Basins: 01, 36, 37, 41, 43, 45, 47, 71, 72
Eastern Region Basins: 01, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 73, 74, 75
Water Districts
WATER DISTRICTS
Water districts are government entities with authority to raise assessments for the purpose of making local improvements or to assist state agencies in performing certain statutory functions related to water distribution within the districts.
Aquifer Recharge Districts
AQUIFER RECHARGE DISTRICTS (ARD)
Aquifer Recharge Districts are created upon petition of water right holders within a proposed area for the purpose of raising assessments to manage recharge facilities and conduct recharge projects.
Groundwater Management Districts
GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS (GWMD)
Groundwater Management Districts are created “to provide for financing of repair or abandonment of wells in aquifers which have experienced or are experiencing declines in water level or water pressures because of flow, leakage, and waste from improper construction, maintenance, and operation of wells drilled into the aquifer.”
Water Measurement Districts
WATER MEASUREMENT DISTRICTS
Water measurement districts accomplish measurement and reporting of diversions outside of established water districts.
Non-IDWR Water Related Districts & Organizations
IDWR works with the following types of water related districts and organizations in various capacities and as it relates to the work of the Department. IDWR has no jurisdiction over the following types of districts.
IRRIGATION ORGANIZATIONS
An irrigation organization delivers water to the acreage authorized for the water rights within the boundaries controlled by the irrigation organization.
Idaho Irrigation Districts – a list of irrigation district contacts
IDWR does not maintain a complete list of irrigation organization contacts. If the contact information that you need is not listed, try the following options.
- Check the Active Organizations tab for a website link.
- Research the organization’s water rights.
- Try an online search.
- Use the Idaho Secretary of State business entity search.
- Review the Bureau of Reclamation Water Users Roster.
GROUNDWATER DISTRICTS
Groundwater Districts can perform the measurement and reporting functions required by law and levy assessments like Water Measurement Districts. Additionally, Groundwater Districts may represent their members in various water use issues and related legal matters, develop and operate mitigation and recharge plans, as well as perform other duties.
Lateral Ditch Water Users Associations
These associations are formed in accordance with the provisions of Idaho Code § 42-1301 et seq. to convey water among several water users on a common ditch lateral and to maintain the common ditch lateral.
Water & Sewer Districts
These districts are organized in accordance with the provisions of Idaho Code § 42-3201 et seq. Water districts supply water for domestic, commercial, and/or municipal purposes while sewer districts provide for sewage disposal. A district can be created for the combined purpose of water supply and sewage disposal.
Critical Groundwater Areas & Groundwater Management Areas
CRITICAL GROUNDWATER AREAS (CGWA)
A Critical Groundwater Area is all or part of a groundwater basin that does not have sufficient groundwater to provide a reasonably-safe supply for irrigation or other uses at the current or projected rates of withdrawal.
GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT AREAS (GWMA)
The IDWR Director is granted authority for designating areas for regulating groundwater withdrawals from aquifers subject to insufficient supplies based on groundwater level trends. A Groundwater Management Area is all or part of a groundwater basin that may be approaching the conditions of a Critical Groundwater Area.
Federal Wild & Scenic Rivers Tributaries Water Rights
FEDERAL WILD & SCENIC RIVERS TRIBUTARIES WATER RIGHTS
Review the stipulations and decrees plus search the applications tributary to the Salmon, Owyhee, and St. Joe Wild & Scenic Rivers.
Water Rights Accounting
The water rights accounting program is a set of computational tools that the watermaster uses to quantify natural flow available, natural flow use, and storage use on a daily, after-the-fact basis. The water rights accounting computes the natural flow available using streamflow, reservoir, and diversion measurements. Based on the natural flow available, the water rights accounting determines which water rights are in priority.
