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<br />Western States Water Council <br />Legal Committee <br /> <br />Boise, Idaho <br />April 21, 2005 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />UTAH <br /> <br />Larry Anderson <br />Dee Hansen <br /> <br />WASHINGTON <br /> <br />WYOMING <br /> <br />GUESTS <br /> <br />. Kris Polansky, Topeka, KS <br />David Moon, The Water Report, Eugene, OR <br />Jim Barton, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, OR <br /> <br />STAFF <br /> <br />D. Craig Bell <br />Tony Willardson <br />Cheryl Redding <br /> <br />WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The meeting was called to order by Bill Staudenmaier, Chair of the Legal Committee. <br /> <br />APPROVAL OF MINUTES <br /> <br />The minutes of the Legal Committee meeting in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico were unanimously <br />approved as circulated prior to the meetings. <br /> <br />CURRENT LEGAL ISSUES IN IDAHO <br /> <br />Clive Strong, Deputy Attorney General, Chief, Division of Natural Resources for the State of <br />Idaho, described current legal issues in Idaho related to water resources. While deferring to the subsequent <br />speaker for an update on the Snake River Settlement, Clive discussed current issues associated with <br />conjunctive management administration, within the context of the issues that had arisen in the Eastern <br />Snake Plain area. He discussed the conditions that led up to the conflicts between ground water users and <br />surface users, including changes in irrigation practices, the low cost of pumping facilitating further ground <br />water development, and five years of drought. Both the Idaho state legislature and the Department of <br />Water Resources expended considerable effort in providing a framework for conjunctive administration. <br />A model had been developed to determine expected impacts, with the long-term goal of changing the water <br />budget to mitigate future conflicts. In the meantime, Mr. Dreher had issued an order curtailing the <br />exercise of junior ground water uses, unless they are able to find "replacement water." Clive identified . <br />various options relating to such replacement water. The central issue involved in this situation is how the <br /> <br />2 <br />