EAGLE, Idaho — The annual shareholders meeting with the Farmer's Union Ditch Company stretched on for hours, as shareholders voted for new board members after forcing a quorum for the first time since the 1980s.
251 shareholders needed to show up at the Riverside Hotel to force a quorum, and 262 did because residents in Eagle are unhappy with an agreement the board made with the Eagle Sewer District to put wastewater into the Farmer's Union Canal.
WATCH: Learn more about the issue and hear from shareholders
"People are passionate about this issue, and it was pretty feisty," said Robert Netzly. "You can tell how important this issue is to keep this wastewater off our property."
Dent was not allowed in the meeting because he's not a shareholder, but he can tell you they had security to get into the meeting, Garden City Police on hand. The meeting lasted for more than five hours.
The result ended with four new board members and Cody Blaine being the only one left over from the previous board.
"Nothing against the current board, they have done a great job and some of them have been on the board for like 50 years," said Katy Sullivan. "The wastewater was kind of the hill to die on for many of us."
Idaho News 6 has been following concerns from farmers in Eagle and residents in subdivisions west of Highway 55 after the Farmers' Union made a $20 million agreement with the Eagle Sewer District to add class A wastewater to the canal to help supply water for irrigation in dry years.
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"Class A water kills pathogens like bacteria, but it leaves in the forever chemicals like PFAS, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, household cleaners and toxins," said Sullivan. "It is just not something most of us want on our land."
Pretty much everyone Dent talked to also had issues with transparency on this project. Dent spoke with several people that showed up who live in Eagle that are not shareholders.
It remains to be seen what lies ahead.
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"We are hopeful that Eagle Sewer will be able to back out of that contract because the shareholders just don’t want it," said Netzly. "We just don’t want the wastewater on our land."
