Water is without question Idaho’s most important natural resource. Agriculture is the single largest
sector of the state’s economy, and nearly all of it is irrigated. Irrigated agriculture on the Snake
River Plain and the water storage and delivery infrastructure that supports it are second in the U.S.
only to California’s Central Valley in geographic scope and amount of water used. Idaho and California
far exceed the rest of the states in all measures of irrigation development. Essentially all of the
irrigation water used in Idaho comes from the Snake River and its tributaries. At the same time, the
upper Snake and its tributaries support what are arguably the most popular recreational trout fisheries
in the country, if not the world. Tens of thousands of anglers from around the world travel to the upper
Snake River basin each year to fish for native and nonnative trout species, bringing tens of millions of
dollars annually into the regional economy. Add in the value of flat-water recreation, wildlife values
associated with riparian habitat along the region’s large rivers, and urban expansion, which is nearly
completely dependent on adequate supplies of high quality groundwater, and it is easy to see why water
is so important to every aspect of life in eastern Idaho.
What's New!!!
Upper Snake River water supply improving only very slowly.
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