Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District will look at Clearwater River as water source
Jan. 24—The expected cost of the proposed water intake system is $60 million. An incorrect figured appeared in the original version of this story, but it has been corrected below.
The Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District will get $1.2 million from the Idaho Water Resources Board to partially design an infrastructure project that envisions tapping into the Clearwater River.
For more than a decade, the district, Nez Perce Tribe, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and other partners have been working to secure a reliable water source for LOID patrons and return diverted water from Webb and Sweetwater creeks that are home to federally protected wild steelhead.
The collaborative effort, known as the Lower Clearwater Exchange, was prompted by a 2007 lawsuit by the tribe challenging a biological opinion that determined LOID's system of diversion dams, canals, pipes and reservoirs on Craig Mountain south of Lewiston didn't harm steelhead or their habitat. The system was built on the tribe's reservation and without its permission in the early 1900s. At times, the diversions completely dewatered Sweetwater Creek that is fed by cool water springs that are important to rearing steelhead and cherished by tribal members.
The Bureau of Reclamation took ownership of and made improvements to the system in the 1940s. The bureau still owns the system but it is managed by the irrigation district.
A collaborative effort led by Lewiston resident Jerry Klem put a halt to the litigation and the parties worked to find a new water source. The goal is to end the water diversions to benefit steelhead, find a new and reliable source of water for LOID patrons and resolve issues between the federal government and tribe that arose over construction of the old system.
An early alternative that sought to use a series of wells to tap the deep aquifer beneath the Orchards has now been sidelined. LOID manager Barney Metz said groundwater has proven to be more scarce than thought.
"It's not that the aquifer can't handle it but it's definitely putting some stress on the aquifer and the state is not comfortable with that nor is LOID, so we are going back to explore other alternatives," he said.
A planning document in 2011 identified both the Snake and Clearwater rivers as potential sources. The district, tribe and other partners completed a preliminary study looking at the Clearwater. The money from the Water Resources Board will allow engineering firm J-U-B to build on that study so the partners can identify potential problems and eventually seek federal funding. Metz said at a meeting of the Water Resource Board Finance committee meeting that it may cost $60 million.
He said the work would help determine where the water intake and pumping infrastructure would be located and what path the pipeline would take to reach Mann Lake.
"It's not a firm commitment that we are going to the river as much as making sure it's a viable solution and there are not any elephants in the pathway."
Metz said if the system is built, the volume of water that will be drawn from the river will be less than the amount the district can divert from Craig Mountain.
Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.
