It's Not Me, It's You

Submitted by Jason DuBose on Wed, 2017-07-12 00:00

We spent our morning at the Suez water treatment facility. I learned that its a privately owned water distribution facility that not only incorporates the treatment facility but also a number of wells around Boise that provide water for nearly the entirety of Boise.  I learned about the complex process of water treatment and then the surprising fact that during the summer months, 70% of the water they treat is used to irrigate lawns. Most Boise residents are not in an irrigation district and are forced to use treated water that either comes from the Auquifer, Boise river or the New York canal.  That was another shocking fact. The Suez gets its water from a few different sources but because of water rights, they must get their water from two different sources, both originating from the Boise River. They are also tied to Boise river water rights as well as the rights of the auquifer users.  They are unable to take much out of the east Boise aquifer because of the geothermal water rights of the Warm Springs area. In all this it became clear once again that water is managed to benefit the stakeholders first and those rights are what govern water management.  I blogged yesterday that ecological consideration are usually begrudgingly made by water managers when the courts intervene and today I am left feeling even more certain of that assessment.  The glimmer of hope that I took from today is the frustration that water managers have had about the public using the water to irrigate residential areas.  That was not the system's intended use especially where treated/drinkable water is concerned.  

We toured a native plant garden that requires minimal water as these plants are native to Idaho and pretty drought resistant.  In a city using 70% of its water to irrigate and HOA's designed to keep lawns green and well manicured, what can we do on a personal level or as a community to reduce the misuse of a valuable ecological system?

Comments

Luke Kolar's picture

I found your post thoughtful and well articulated.  It seems when developers and property owners set up soft scapes and HOAs there is minimal thought to the long term repercussions of the plants that are selected for common areas and everyone develops a "keep up with the jones" mentality.  Currently, people don't truly feel drought around here.  As the area continues to see an influx of people over the next decades I'm not sure what that will look like.

Brian Zuber's picture

Water rights and water usage are both complicated sides of the local Treasure Valley water cycle, and it is truly mind-blowing getting just a taste of that when visiting and speaking with the various companies and agencies that interact to provide us with our water. I've toured the Suez facility in the past, and visited with employees at various dam sites, and I'm still overwhelmed with the complexity!

Part of it is, of course, historical, as the area settled by Euro-American immigrants and everyone began to compete over the most precious resource we have, water! Our valley's water situation is wrapped in over a century of complex laws, often written without full knowledge of the natural ecosystem and water cycle, and often giving advantage to those with influence.

I'm also bothered by how much water we use to irrigate our lawn and decorative gardens with non-native plants in the valley. I agree that we don't feel drought yet in the Treasure Valley, but our aquifer isn't a limitless resource and we are already feeling the change in snowpack levels that feed the Boise River due to anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change. No idea how long it will take, but as our population grows, the aquifer drains, and snowpack continues to melt faster (and build slower) . . . I think we are headed for a rude wake-up call here in the Treasure Valley at some point in the not so distant future. Of course, this same scenario plays out across the nation!

I love green lawns, big shade trees, and beautiful gardens, but we need to cut back using so much water to sustain the false "backyard" ecosystems. Native plants and xeroscaping need to be pushed, perhaps with some sort of reward like a tax break!

I grew up in New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. While living there, I never heard about water rights because water rights didn't really "exist." Back East it rains much more than here in Idaho. Therfore, natural rainfall was enough for all stakeholders. Farmers didn't need to irrigate, homeowners didn't need to pay for water. The term water shortage was also not heard. It's quite a change to live somewhere one must pay for every drop. Water seems to be a more important resource here (more of a limited resource). Students can learn a lot from limited resource sharing. Student groups can be given a bottle of water and they have to ration it for all their needs. Acapful equals a 5 minute shower, a half a cap equals the dishwasher. So on....They will have to ration properly.