The Wood River Legacy Project, an ambitious effort to restore flows to 12 miles of the Big Wood River south of Glendale Bridge projected to boost the size of the fishery by 33 percent, has drawn support from a host of city and county governments and local canal companies.
But during a public forum in Hailey Tuesday night, the project, which hinges on the revision of Idaho's entrenched water laws, was challenged by a group of farmers south of Bellevue who believe the undertaking will create more harm than good.
Every summer since 1920, the Big Wood River, which is among Idaho's most treasured fisheries, has been diverted into canals near Glendale Bridge, leaving scores of trout to die in stagnant pools. Legacy Project Director Rich McIntyre thinks if water right's holders are given an option, many would choose to keep their water in-stream, and the dead stretch of river could be revived.
But current Idaho water law is based on a "use it or lose it" policy, meaning water rights' holders must exercise their rights to the precious resource, or lose it all.
To change the law, McIntyre must convince the Republican-dominated Idaho Legislature that it's a good idea.
A similar attempt to alter Idaho's water laws in favor of enhanced options was spearheaded by the Idaho Department of Water Resources 15 years ago.
"It failed miserably because it had no bipartisan support," McIntyre said. "The only major bodies that supported that legislation were conservation organizations.
"If this doesn't have strong Republican support, it will go nowhere in the Legislature."
So far, he's off to a good start.
In addition to Blaine County and the cities of Hailey and Ketchum, the project has garnered conceptual support from agriculture-centric, Republican-leaning Lincoln, Gooding and Jerome counties and the cities of Jerome and Shoshone. The Big Wood and Northside Canal companies have also offered support.
In addition to enhanced fishing opportunities and an economic boost to the south valley, McIntyre has pushed the project as a tremendous benefit to down-basin agricultural operations due to the increased flows.
But farmers and ranchers in the Bellevue Triangle aren't biting.
"We run out of water here, too. You're making it sound like we're taking water from everybody," said Bill Sherbine, who's been farming south of Bellevue his entire life. He added that if not for farming operations, Silver Creek, where water levels have been persistently dropping for 30 years, would die.
"If we didn't irrigate in the Triangle, Silver Creek would be dry in three years," he said.
Silver Creek is spring-fed and therefore relies on plentiful groundwater.
Furthermore, Sherbine believes that even if enough people kept their water in-stream to re-water the lower Big Wood River above Magic Reservoir, the channel would still run dry.
"Every year when the water is turned back on in the fall, it doesn't even make it to Diamond Dragon Ranch," Sherbine said. "It runs into the ground ... you might as well pour it down a hole."
Diamond Dragon Ranch is located between Glendale Bridge and U.S. Highway 20.
"We have no intention of taking water out of Bellevue Triangle. The water that goes into Bellevue Triangle stays in Bellevue Triangle," McIntyre said. "And we're not pointing a finger of guilt at the Bellevue Triangle. We understand the system that has existed has existed a long time."
McIntyre added that the ability of the riverbed immediately south of Glendale Bridge to hold water is still unknown and the project would bypass that area in the initial phase.
"There is a lot not known about that section," he said.
Instead, water would continue to be diverted into canals south of Glendale Bridge but be re-diverted back to the river, likely at Diamond Dragon Ranch, McIntyre said.
With Sherbine still expressing concern "that all of us water users will lose our water quicker," McIntyre assured him that wouldn't occur.
"If that happens, the project dies," he said.
Rich McIntyre talks to an audience in Hailey Tuesday about the Wood River Legacy Project. Photo by David N. Seelig
