The Idaho Water Resource Board on Dec. 16 voted to approve 11 groundwater-to-surface-water irrigation conversion projects worth a combined $13.3 million.

Reducing pressure on the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer and other aquifers that are in decline is a goal of the grant program, according to the board.

Gov. Brad Little, Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke and board chairman Jeff Raybould recommended the program amid settlement negotiations earlier this year between ESPA groundwater users and a coalition of surface water users with senior rights. The board created the program July 1 with an initial budget of $20 million, adopted grant criteria July 26 and received applications through Oct. 4.

Bingham Ground Water District is among grant recipients.

“This infrastructure will provide growers with increased flexibility and protection,” district board member Adam Young, a Blackfoot-area farmer, told Capital Press. “As farmers irrigate with surface water instead of groundwater, they will be better able to comply with their groundwater pumping allocation under the new mitigation plan.”

Idaho manages water conjunctively, treating groundwater and surface water as a single, interconnected system. The conversion projects figure to benefit conjunctive management in that irrigating with surface water, when available, can reduce pressure on the aquifer, Young said.

The projects also will help farmers, including some who have both surface water and groundwater rights, access canal water and in turn reduce groundwater pumping volume, said Tony Dixey, the Bingham district’s program manager. Projects in the Bingham district likely will start next fall and be ready for use in the 2026 irrigation season.

“We’re thrilled to see that the Water Board is recognizing the need to focus on these projects,” Idaho Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, R-Idaho Falls, with grant recipient Bonneville-Jefferson Ground Water District, said in the IWRB release. “There’s been a lot of talk before, but it’s exciting to see that we’re moving forward and getting projects approved and moving forward.”

The grant limit is $5 million per application. Groundwater districts, irrigation districts, irrigation boards of control and canal companies are eligible. Individuals must apply through an eligible entity. Projects must be located in state-designated critical groundwater areas and/or groundwater management areas.

Two project applications did not receive funding because they did not meet the criteria for the grounwater-to-surface-water conversion grant program, according to the board.

•Aberdeen-American Falls Groundwater District: Lake Channel Pipeline pumping station, $1.3 million grant, $2.6 million total project cost.

•Bingham Ground Water District pump, pipe and power projects: Morgan Enterprises, $91,882 grant, $183,765 total cost; S&L Murdock, $123,481 grant, $246,962 total cost; V&L Cornelison, $32,573 grant, $65,146 total cost; R&L Polatis, $183,666 grant, $367,332 total cost.

•Bonneville-Jefferson GWD: Osgood Pipeline conversion and recharge project, $5 million grant, $25.3 million total cost; Brett Jensen Farms, conversion and surface water pumping project, $65,640 grant, $131,280 project cost.

•Magic Valley GWD: Pump station construction, pipeline construction as first phase of large conversion to access surface water, $5 million grant, $26.6 million project cost; McManus piping project with power, $131,285 grant, $175,047 project cost; PKD Properties, pumping from Snake River to existing main line, $21,617 grant, $43,734 project cost.

•Snake River Valley Irrigation District: West Branch Canal improvements to increase surface water conveyance capacity, $1.3 million grant, $2.6 million project cost.