05/11/05 Rain delays irrigation, doesn`t end droug

A lot of farmers say they'll take the rain even though they're now behind schedule with planting. The rains of recent weeks have delayed irrigation demand in southern Idaho but Water Resource Department hydrologist Bill Ondreken says five years of drought have taken a toll. ONDREKEN "Some Snow-tel sites in the central mountains have received less than precip the last four or five years and the total deficit from average is about one and a half times the annual precipitation at the site. So it's just like they missed over a year's worth of average moisture during this period." Last year the Bear River valley in southeast Idaho suffered through record low water levels but this year it's one of the bright spots. ONDREKEN "They have a near average snowpack and they'll have a full water supply this year." One problem area is the Richfield tract at the Magic Reservoir where this year is going to be a likely repeat of last. ONDREKEN "They're still about half of their normal water supply so they're going basically exhaust their irrigation water probably in July this year." The State Water Supply Committee met yesterday in Boise to review snowpack, rain and runoff data. It's generally agreed that we'll need a couple of years of 120 percent snowpack to replenish the reservoirs. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott