TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Magic Valley farmers adjusted their crops and water use this year as drought conditions forced irrigation reductions across the region, and experts warn the situation could worsen in 2027.
Rick Pearson has been farming in Buhl his entire life. He started the year planting small grains that require less water and was able to plant roughly the same crops of corn, alfalfa and triticale as normal.
"At this point, we're gonna make it through the end of the season," Pearson said.
Pearson also sits on the Twin Falls Canal Company Board of Directors and has been watching water issues for decades.
"Well, we're just flat taking too much water out of the aquifer and if we don't get the storms in the wintertime, we can't replenish it," Pearson said.
In a update to the Aquifer Stabilization Committee, the Idaho Department of Water Resources said the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer had a net reduction of 600,000 acre-feet before the 2026 irrigation season. On the positive side, the report said aquifer recharge programs and pumping reductions had limited the depletion by putting 2.8 million acre-feet of water into the aquifer.
Alan Hansten is general manager of the North Side Canal Company, which participates in recharge efforts over the winter.
"We're able to run about 500 CFS of water through there during the winter time," Hansten said.
The North Side Canal Company has been at 80% delivery to 160,000 acres in Jerome, Gooding and Elmore counties all summer. As a result, reservoirs across the water system are on average around 11% of capacity.
Hansten said the current conditions may signal a longer-term trend.
"I think that this year is just an example year. You know what's ahead of us? I mean, we've seen in the past, and this one is not a lot different in the past years, we've had dry spells. We're going to probably see this occur more frequent ways to go forward with climate change," Hansten said.
Pearson said the outlook for next year is bleak.
"I have to think next year is even gonna be harder with the reservoir levels completely depleted this year. We're gonna have to have somewhere like 150% of normal, and we just don't get that you know it just doesn't happen that often," Pearson said.
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