The renowned waters of Silver Creek are cherished by fly-fishing enthusiasts, bird watchers and other outdoor recreationists far and wide. Closer to home, the crystal-clear stream is cherished by local Wood River Valley residents, many of whom call upon its soothing graces at various times throughout the year.
Evidence of this widespread passion for the meandering curves and hidden sights and sounds of this most magnificent of spring creeks was abundantly clear last Saturday as the Idaho chapter of The Nature Conservancy held its second annual celebration of the stream.
Called "A Watershed Event: A Symposium on Silver Creek and the Big Wood River," the well-attended one-day conference was held at the Sun Valley Inn.
Although large sections of the stream are protected by extensive conservation easements and a central portion of it as a private preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy, fans of Silver Creek are not about to rest on their laurels. They realize that protecting the valuable natural asset is not a one-time affair, but will require continuing vigilance and commitment.
In a sense, this was the premise of the all-day symposium, which highlighted issues related to the many uses of Silver Creek waters. Not only is the recreational use of the stream's waters important, but so too is its use for the area's agricultural and domestic needs.
Following a short slideshow showing the many moods and uses of Silver Creek and to a lesser extent the adjacent Big Wood River, the topic of "Working Water: How water is used in the Wood River Valley" was the first matter of the day. Speaking to various components of this issue were Jeff Fereday, an attorney specializing in water law with Boise-based Givens Pursley LLP, Kevin Lakey, watermaster for local water District 37 and 37M, and Allen Merritt, Southern Region Manager of the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR).
Speaking to the large crowd, Fereday addressed Idaho water law as it relates to individual water rights and the Silver Creek and Big Wood River systems. There, as elsewhere in the state, water law requires holders of water rights to use their right or risk losing it.
Idaho water law further requires that water can only be diverted for beneficial uses such as irrigating agricultural crops, Fereday said. Simply diverting water so as to perpetuate a water right is not considered a valid use, he said.
"The right is a right to use only," Fereday said. "The irrigator doesn't own the water. That's a fact."
He said that statewide, the rapid urbanization of agriculture lands is raising numerous water rights issues.
As this urbanization occurs, "our use of water is becoming less efficient," Fereday said.
Lakey is responsible for managing the distribution of surface water in the Big and Little Wood rivers. Silver Creek is a tributary of the Little Wood River, and Lakey said coming changes in how water is managed could change the face of water use locally. Lakey said that in the years to come, ground water will likely begin to be managed much like surface water.
In places like the Wood River Valley, which experts say has a very direct connection between surface and ground water resources, such a change in management style could obviously have a large and noticeable impact.
"Groundwater management is coming, but it is still a few years away," Lakey said.
He said the close interconnection of surface and groundwater resources was illustrated earlier this year when water was cut off from the District 45 Canal off of the Big Wood River. He said it's been long thought that flows in the canal, which diverts water from the river south of Bellevue, are closely tied to flows in Silver Creek.
Facing extreme low water conditions this summer, Lakey made the call to shut off flows to the canal, whose porous bottom results in significant amounts of water being sent into the aquifer that feeds Silver Creek. Shortly after flows to the canal were shut off, flows on Silver Creek dropped precipitously in response, Lakey said.
"We always knew there was a big connection there, but we didn't know how much," he said.
In a separate speech on Saturday, Cal Groen, Director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, noted the positive effect healthy streams have on local economies. The Wood River Valley, home to Silver Creek and the Big Wood River, is no exception, Groen said.
"We're talking about big business. We're talking about major economic contribution," he said.
Groen said collaboration between various water users is the key to protecting Silver Creek.
"Working together, that's what works," he said.
Cal Groen
