Administration BOR Policy Economics Environment Federal Laws Hydrology Idaho Laws

The Ground-Water Banking Project will look at questions of administration and operation:

  • How do we deal with the "leaky vault" (water stored in the aquifer eventually finds its way to rivers)?

  • How are prices set?

  • What units are accounted?
    • Dollars?
    • Acre Feet?
    • Cubic Feet per Second?

  • Where and when are the units accounted?
    • At the time and place of recharge/mitigation?
    • At the time of use or withdrawl?

  • What constitutes a deposit?
    • Physical recharge of "wet" water?
    • Foregoing use of water that otherwise would have been pumped?
    • Supplying replacement water for a ground-water use that otherwise would have been pumped?
    • Creating excess mitigtation as part of a water-right transfer or permit application?

  • What constitutes a withdrawl?
    • Pumping of ground water?
    • Directing that increased river gains be delivered or dedicated to a certain place and use?
    • Mititgation for a new or existing ground water use?

  • How does ground-water accounting relate to surface-water accounting and delivery?

  • Who is eligible to make deposits? Withdrawls?

  • What can withdrawn water be used for?

  • Should there be preferences for particular classes or locations of water use?

  • Some water banks allow withdrawal in advance of recharge (effectively a "loan"). Should this be allowed in the Snake Plain Aquifer Banking system?

  • How do we verify that the water actually went where we said it would?