Notice
Water right changes made under the provisions of a drought declaration expire at the end of the current year unless extended or terminated by the IDWR Director.
The Water Supply Bank is a water exchange program operated by the Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB; Board), through the Director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR), in association with water districts and IWRB-appointed local rental committees, to facilitate the acquisition and voluntary exchange of water rights, for new and supplemental water uses.
The Bank is operated pursuant to Sections 42-1761 through 42-1766 Idaho Code and Idaho Administrative Code IDAPA 37.02.03 (Water Supply Bank Rules).
The Water Supply Bank program primarily consists of two water exchange initiatives: the Board’s water supply bank (Board’s bank) and rental pools. The Board’s bank facilitates the statewide lease and rental of water rights and is managed by IDWR personnel while rental pools facilitate the lease and rental of water rights associated with specific watersheds or water sources (e.g. river basins and/or reservoir storage systems) and are managed by IWRB-appointed local committees.
The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes also operate a Tribal Water Supply Bank, for Snake River water stored in federal reservoirs, under the authorities of Water Supply Bank statutes and Tribal Water Supply Bank rules.
For additional information about the Water Supply Bank, history, and FAQ’s, read the WSB Overview & FAQ’s.
Contacts
Mary Condon
Water Supply Bank Coordinator
322 East Front Street, STE 600 Boise, ID
(208) 287-4936
bank@idwr.idaho.gov
Water Supply Bank Meetings
| Date | Committee | Meeting No. | Location | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 18, 2023 | Water Supply Bank | 2-23 | Boise / Livestream | Agenda Meeting Materials Audio Find the VIDEO at our YouTube Channel. |
| April 24, 2023 | Water Supply Bank | 1-23 | Boise/Zoom | Agenda Audio Meeting Materials |
| July 12, 2022 | Water Supply Bank | 2-22 | Boise/Zoom | Agenda Meeting Materials |
| June 13, 2022 | Water Supply Bank | 1-22 | Boise/Zoom | Agenda Meeting Materials |
| 20201218December 18, 2020 | Water Supply Bank & Mitigation Bank | 20-022-20 | Boise/Zoom | |
| 20200723July 23, 2020 | Water Supply Bank & Mitigation Bank | 20-011-20 | Boise/GoToMeeting | |
| 20200318March 18, 2020 | Water Supply Bank | 20-011-20 | Boise | |
| 20180626June 26, 2018 | Water Supply Bank | 18-011-18 | Boise | |
| 20170629June 29, 2017 | Water Supply Bank | 17-022-17 | Boise | |
| 20170228February 28, 2017 | Water Supply Bank | 17-011-17 | Boise | |
| 20161101November 1, 2016 | Water Supply Bank | 16-011-16 | Boise | |
| 20150821August 21, 2015 | Water Supply Bank | 15-022-15 | Boise | |
| 20150107January 7, 2015 | Water Supply Bank | 15-011-15 | Boise | |
| 20141009October 9, 2014 | Water Supply Bank | 14-022-14 | Boise | |
| 20140306March 6, 2014 | Water Supply Bank | 14-011-14 | Boise | |
| 20130320March 20, 2013 | Water Supply Bank | 13-011-13 | Boise | |
| 20120110January 10, 2012 | Water Supply Bank | 12-011-12 | Boise | |
| 20111220December 20, 2011 | Water Supply Bank | 11-011-11 | Boise | |
Water Supply Bank Pricing
The Board establishes the price for renting water rights from their bank. Presently, the Board has established that the price for water right rentals is $23/af through 2024 and will increase to $33/af beginning in 2025. An applicant may enter into an agreement with a water right holder to negotiate a rental rate different than the Board’s rental rate. Ten percent (10%) of the gross rental fee will be retained by the Board for administrative costs of operating the Bank. The lessor (usually the water right holder) will receive ninety percent (90%) of the gross rental fee as payment. There is no fee to submit a rental application, only a fee once the rental is approved. There is a fee to submit a Water Supply Bank lease application.
Local rental pool committees set the price, which the Board must approve, for water that can be rented from the rental pools. This price may be different for each rental pool and can be determined based on the location where the water is to be used. For additional information, refer to the rental pool procedures listed on the Water Supply Bank’s Administration page.
Analysis of Processing Costs vs Revenue – Board’s Bank, 2018-2022
Water Supply Bank Reports
A report of all currently active rental applications to the Board’s bank is accessible via the excel workbook linked immediately to the right. The application processing queue is updated nightly.
Additionally, annual reports for the Board’s bank and regional rental pools, are accessible below.
Water Supply Bank Processing
Board’s Bank Report
2022 Annual Report
Archived
- 2020 & 2021 Annual Report
- 2019 Annual Report
- 2018 Annual Report
- 2017 Annual Report
- 2016 Annual Report
- 2015 Annual Report
- 2014 Annual Report
- 2013 Annual Report
- 2012 Annual Report
- 2011 Annual Report
- 2010 Annual Report
- 2008 Annual Report
- 2003 Annual Report
- 2002 Annual Report
- 2001 Annual Report
- 2000 Annual Report
- 1999 Annual Report
- 1998 Annual Report
- 1995 Annual Report
Rental Pool Reports
Water Supply Bank Resources
General Information
On this page, you will find various Water Supply Bank resources that may assist you in learning more about the program, and which may be used to submit a lease or rental application. Water Supply Bank Overview & FAQ’s
Submitting a lease or rental application to the Board’s bank
If you would like to propose a lease or request a rental of water rights through the Board’s bank, you should download an application from the column to the right, complete all questions in the application, and then submit it to our office for processing. See Announcements page for notices.
Current lease and rental applications submitted for review can be viewed in the Application Processing spreadsheet at the right side of the page.
We cannot at this time accept electronic payments, so lease applications should be mailed with a check made out to the Idaho Department of Water Resources.
If you are requesting a rental of ground water rights for a diversion of Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA) water, you should ensure that any ESPA ground water modeling required for your rental is included with the application. Available leased ESPA ground water rights are in the spreadsheet at right. Call or email for updates. For more information about ESPA ground water modeling, see below.
To see all water rights presently leased into the Board’s bank, click the Water Bank Leases & Rentals map search tool link to the right.
Application Forms
Application to Sell or Lease a Water Right to the Water Supply Bank
Application to Rent Water from the Water Supply Bank
Request to Release a Water Right from the Water Supply Bank
Application Supplements
Applications Received
& Leased Water Availability
ESPA Groundwater Modeling Resources
The ESPA Modeling Tools provide to the water management community a common way to analyze the hydrologic impacts of Water Supply Bank rentals within the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA). These tools enable users to evaluate the potential for a proposed rental within the ESPA to affect flows in the Snake River. In the event that the ESPA Modeling Tools show that the proposal could injure prior rights, the spreadsheets will reveal the extent of the mitigation necessary. The applicant can then draft a mitigation plan which minimizes injury to senior rights and create an application which complies with the ESPA moratorium order.
How to use the ESPA Modeling Tools
- Locate and identify your grid cells.Use IDWR’s interactive map server to identify ESPA model grid cells for use in the next step.
- Run the model.The ESPA Model Transfer spreadsheet was designed for individuals with little experience using groundwater modeling software. Download the zipped folder, open the ETransfer spreadsheet, and then add your inputs to the Data Entry tab. Be sure to read the data entry notes in green before running the model. Once you run the model, copy the data at the bottom of the Calculated Effects tab and place the data into the Mitigation Analysis spreadsheet.
- Analyze the results.The ESPA Mitigation Analysis spreadsheet is compatible with the ESPA Model Transfer spreadsheet. Use the ESPA Mitigation Analysis spreadsheet to analyze depletions to 11 reaches of the Snake River. Compare the model results of your proposal with IDWR’s mitigation threshold values to determine of mitigation will be necessary.
Water Supply Bank Announcements
Taxpayer information (EIN/SSN) previously retrieved from the IRS Form W9 has changed to an online portal called PaymentWorks.
The State of Idaho, through the State Controller’s Office (SCO), has partnered with PaymentWorks, an online portal for vendor registration. The State no longer accepts the IRS Form W9 to add vendors (payees) to the vendor system. Enrollment in PaymentWorks is by email invitation only.
Please note:
- The initial email from IDWR staff ending in “@idwr.idaho.gov” will request the payees name and the email address to use for setting up the account. It is recommended you provide a generic email address for setting up an account with PaymentWorks.
- The invitation from PaymentWorks will come from invitations@paymentworks.com
- PaymentWorks has an additional feature to add bank and routing information for the lessor to receive their warrant payments by Direct Deposit.
- Lessors who received warrant checks in the fall of 2024 or later were automatically rolled over into the new system. If you need to register with PaymentWorks to access your account, email bank@idwr.idaho.gov to request this process be initiated.
If you are having issues in the PaymentWorks Portal, you may also contact SCO at (208) 334-3100 and info@sco.idaho.gov or contact PaymentWorks directly from contact support.
Subject to a resolution of the Idaho Water Resource Board, all groundwater rentals within the designated groundwater management area for the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA) are subject to annual review by the Idaho Water Resource Board to ensure that all rentals remain consistent with the pending groundwater management plan for the ESPA.