The University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences has hired several water researchers.

Meetpal Kukal, an assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Penn State University, was hired as a water modeler in UI’s Department of Soil and Water Systems. To be based in Boise, he will start in August.

He succeeds Richard Allen, who retired in 2022. Allen did groundbreaking research in the use of satellite remote sensing to quantify evapotranspiration from crops, and incorporated remote-sensing data into modeling used by the Idaho Department of Water Resources in water budgets and groundwater modeling, according to a UI news release.

Allen’s research group at UI’s Kimberly Research and Extension Center for many years worked with the Department of Water Resources to “innovate state of the art methods for quantifying evapotranspiration,” said Phil Blankenau, an evapotranspiration analyst with the department. Kukal “brings expertise in agricultural evapotranspiration and evapotranspiration measurement techniques” and “will be a valuable resource for IDWR.”

Idaho is the third largest irrigator behind California and Texas, according to UI. Idaho has 3.4 million acres of irrigated cropland, and 86% of the water withdrawn in the state is used for agricultural purposes.

Gov. Brad Little and the legislature recently authorized the hiring of an irrigation extension specialist to be based in the south region. A search will start soon.

“The expectation is these two positions will work together, and that there are going to be synergies between the extension irrigation piece and the research irrigation piece,” Robert Heinse, acting director of the UI Department of Soil and Water Systems, said in the release.

The irrigation specialist will educate farmers, field specialists and students on the design and function of sustainable, data-driven irrigation and water management systems and practices. Howard Niebling, who retired from the job in 2022, helped to develop low-elevation sprinkler application beneath crop canopies, an approach that aims to reduce water drift and evaporation.

It is expected that the irrigation specialist will continue irrigation and water-use efficiency efforts, connect what research and technology can do as to variable application rates and relay information to growers, Heinse said.

UI hired Christa Howarth as assistant extension water educator based in Boise. She will teach Project Wet, which trains teachers to incorporate water-related lessons into curriculum. She will carry out the “Ida H20” Master Water Stewards program, through which volunteers monitor water quality in streams and ponds.

The job will be funded for the first year with part of a $650,000 National Science Foundation Accelerator grant, awarded jointly to Boise State University and UI.

Howarth aims to start a Treasure Valley version of the Confluence Project, according to UI. The existing northern Idaho program has high school students study water quality in the field with experts.

“As part of the grant, we are actively interviewing stakeholders and end users to understand water education needs in the Treasure Valley so we can tailor my extension position toward meeting those needs,” she said in the release.