Idaho's Complex Water Issues in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer: Underground Rivers, Increasin

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Idaho's Complex Water Issues in the Eastern Snake
River Plain Aquifer Underground Rivers,
Increasing and Decreasing Groundwater and Spring
Levels, Human Impacts.... Long Term Drought
--- Current Future Concerns

• US Drought Monitor Forum Portland, Oregon
• October 10-11, 2007
• Ron Abramovich, Hydrologist, Water Supply
  Specialist
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  (NRCS)
• Snow Survey Office Boise Idaho
• http//www.id.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/

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• Drought Monitor Products
• US Drought Monitor Current Conditions
• US Seasonal Drought Forecast --- Near Future
  Next Three Months

3

• Drought Monitor Products
• US Drought Monitor Looks at Current Conditions
• US Seasonal Drought Forecast --- Looks at Near
  Future Next Three Months

• Summary ---- Thoughts..
• Is There a Need for Map that Shows
  Future Water
  Concerns / On Going Concerns?
• Such as
• Colorado - 9th year of drought, the unusually low
  level of Lake Mead has caused the Colorado River
  to down cut into the sediment deposited in the
  upper reaches of the lake
• Great Lakes - continue to struggle with
  near-record low levels
• Oglala Aquifer
• Rio Grande River
• Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer
• Lake Okeechobee Florida setting new minimum
  records since spring 2007 currently a foot below
  previous record for today
• Others

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• Summary --- Current Status Eastern Snake River
  Plain Aquifer
• Modelers Suggest overall aquifer is fairly
  close to equilibrium and we should not expect
  substantial declines in aquifers levels.
• However -- aquifer and springs are very
  responsive to Surface Water Supply. If we get
  some mid-1980's and mid-1990's water years, we
  would expect considerable recovery.
• In fact are seeing some recovery in the 1000
  Springs from a couple of near average years in
  2005 and 2006.
• It is probably safe to say - we will continue to
  see fairly significant annual variations but the
  real wild card is what will happen with
  incidental recharge.
• If irrigation entities, line canals, pressurize
  systems and eliminate more gravity flow systems,
  additional declines could occur.
• Drought is a large hit and if repeat the last 7
  years, then we could be in trouble.

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Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer Idaho By Doug
Geller Emporia State University GO 571
Hydrogeology, Spring 2006
Largest aquifer in West
Map source Idaho Department of Water
ResourcesApproximate aquifer area 10,000 square
miles
6
150 miles
King Hill
Milner
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Electricity Cheap Abundant, Deep Ground Water
Wells Installed Pumping 24/7
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1957 Palisades Reservoir built for 1) irrigation
2) flood control and 3) hydropower
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Dry Periods 1987-1994 2000-2007
1970s Conversion From Flood to Sprinkler
Irrigation Systems
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?
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General Flow of Aquifer
Travel Time 100 Years
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Lower Valley Where the Big Lost River Sinks
into Ground near the Idaho National Laboratory
(INL)
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Upper Big Lost River --- Chilly Barton Flat
Springs usually need 700 cfs flow for 14 days
to increase flow from sub-surface to surface flow
during the snowmelt runoff season. Then, need
flow of 350 cfs to sustain surface flow in
streams. Big Lost River never went surface in
2004 and in 1930s. 20 loss of stream water in
sinks above Mackay Reservoir
700 cfs
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2006 Good Year Runoff Year D-Nothing on Surface
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Summer of 2006 GW levels came up 30-40 feet in
mid valley above Arco where wells in Upper Valley
are only 60 feet deep. Wells depths increase to
over 1000 feet deep south of Arco, shelf drops
down to Snake River Plain Aquifer.
2006
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2007
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Little Lost Basin -- one basin to east
Groundwater remained level, did not
increase after 2006 runoff
(94 of average) 2007 runoff
(53 of average)
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Sep 25, 2007
Spring Creek provides 12 of inflow to American
Falls Reservoir. Fills almost every year from
spring flows except in severe droughts
Milner
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Past two years, flow is near record low, Slight
increase in 2007 from 2006 runoff. Next year,
see impacts from low runoff in 2007 ????
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AB Irrigation District
Water District 1 1.2 to 1.3 million irrigated
acres Number of actual users is difficult to
determine

• Presented by Dan Schaeffer,
• Vice-Chairman, Board of Directors.

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AB Acreage

• Unit A Surface Water - 17,301 acres
• American Falls Resv storage right 46,800
• Palisades Resv storage right 90,800
• Unit B Deepwell 65,041 acres
• 1,100 cfs 1948 priority

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Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Ground Water
Conditions

• AB ground water levels have been declining since
  1970 all across the ESPA.
• Declines of 20 to 40 feet are common throughout
  the aquifer.
• AB shows an average decline of about 26 feet
  with a maximum decline of 55 feet.

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Problems encountered in chasing water since
1980

• 137 pumps lowered.
• 109 pumps had new bowls purchased and installed
  to maintain pumping criteria from a greater
  depth.
• 47 wells drilled deeper
• 7 new wells drilled to offset loss of other wells
  or to aid in delivery capacities of others.

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• 7 original wells were temporarily abandoned.
• 1377 acres converted to surface water because
  wells drilled up to 1000 feet yielded no water.
• An additional 2000 acres are in serious trouble
  now.

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Costs of chasing water levels

• AB has spent in excess of 3 million since 1995.
• There are additional Power costs, due to pumping
  from greater depths.

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AB Districts Average Drawdown Water Surface
Whats Next!!!!!!!!!!
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Current Recharge Projects
Cottonwood injection well west of Oakley Dam,
southern Idaho April 10, 2006, 100 cfs, 5000
inches Intake was 200 cfs in early May
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• Current Status
• Modelers Suggest overall aquifer is fairly
  close to equilibrium and we should not expect
  substantial declines in aquifers levels.
• However -- aquifer and springs are very
  responsive to Surface Water Supply. If we get
  some mid-1980's and mid-1990's water years, we
  would expect considerable recovery.
• In fact are seeing some recovery in the 1000
  Springs from a couple of near average years in
  2005 and 2006.
• It is probably safe to say - we will continue to
  see fairly significant annual variations but the
  real wild card is what will happen with
  incidental recharge.
• If irrigation entities, line canals, pressurize
  systems and eliminate more gravity flow systems,
  additional declines could occur.
• Drought is a large hit and if repeat the last 7
  years, then we could be in trouble.

35

• Drought Monitor Products
• US Drought Monitor Current Conditions
• US Seasonal Drought Forecast --- Near Future
  Next Three Months

36
(No Transcript)
37

• Drought Monitor Products
• US Drought Monitor Looks at Current Conditions
• US Seasonal Drought Forecast --- Looks at Near
  Future Next Three Months

• Summary ---- Thoughts..
• Is There a Need for Map that Shows
  Future Water
  Concerns / On Going Concerns?
• Such as
• Colorado - 9th year of drought, the unusually low
  level of Lake Mead has caused the Colorado River
  to down cut into the sediment deposited in the
  upper reaches of the lake
• Great Lakes - continue to struggle with
  near-record low levels
• Oglala Aquifer
• Rio Grande River
• Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer
• Lake Okeechobee Florida setting new minimum
  records since spring 2007 currently a foot below
  previous record for today
• Others

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Questions