Task 1. Construct website describing aquifer storage and recovery, ground-water banking in general, and the specific goals and objectives of this project relative to meeting the needs of both irrigators and fisheries in the Snake River Basin during dry years.

Task 2. Identify stakeholder groups and conduct an intial stakeholder meeting to introduce the project.

Task 3. Survey stakeholder views and concerns related to application of aquifer storage and recovery, and potential impacts of ground-water banking on irrigators and instream flow for fisheries in the Snake River Basin.

Task 4. Form an advisory panel representing the spectrum of Eastern Snake Plain water interests (ground-water irrigators, surface water irrigators, Idaho Power, IDFG, IDWR, Reclamation and other).

Task 5. Interact with advisory panel as needed to discuss water banking concepts and review written products. (One on one interviews and group meetings).

Task 6. Maintain website: Generate quaterly updates. Post reports and meeting minutes, notice of meetings on webpage.

Task 7. Review aquifer storage and recovery and ground-water banking concepts proposed and/or applied in other western states (hydrologic, economic, environmental, and policy review).

Task 8. Develop spreadsheet modeling tool, based on the (revised) Eastern Snake Plain hydrologic model, for determining the valuation of aquifer storage and recovery credits and debits.

Task 9. Develop and evaluate ground-water banking concepts aimed specifically at increasing the availability of surface reservoir storage for maintenance of fisheries habitat during dry years.

Task 10 Develop and evaluate ground-water banking concepts which provide a market mechanism for trading and/or buying and selling of credits by both private and public entities. (Describe accounting units and methods, pricing banked units, bank organization and operation).

Task 11. Develop and evaluate ground-water banking concepts which create incentives for optimal use of aquifer storage and surace water reservoir storage, in order to meet both agricultural demands and in stream flow requirements of fisheries, during dry years.

Task 12. Assess institutional constraints on ground-water banking imposed by state, federal, and tribal policy in the eastern Snake River Plain, including change of use authorization, NEPA, beneficial use, foreiture, Idaho water rights: priority, change in nature of use, and public interest.

Task 13. Extrapolate to other Bureau of Reclamation regions.

Task 14. Write-up preliminiary evaluation of ground-water banking concepts for aquifer storage and recovery in the eastern Snake River Plain, including optimal use relative to existing reservoir storage.

Task 15. Prepare and conduct stakeholder meetings.

Task 16. Evaluate and tabulate policy advisor and stakeholder comments.

Task 17. Incorporate stakeholder input into preliminary evaluation.

Task 18. Prepare final report: Evaluation of Ground-Water Storage and Recovery Banking Concepts for the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer.

Task 19. Prepare and submit refereed journal article.

These taks contribute to understanding in three major areas:

• Policy and Environment
• Economics
• Hydrology

Because of the inter-relationships between these three areas and the need to make available the knowledge gained, two more project areas are needed:

• Integration of Results
• Building Partnerships and Technology Transfer

The following table illustrates how the tasks contribute to the project areas.