Water shortages are starting to show up in Idaho’s large under ground aquifers.
A report released this week by the Idaho Department of Water Resources, said the last two years of below-normal moisture have started dropping aquifers growers depend on for irrigation.
Wells are running dry in southern Idaho where the water table has dropped 30 feet in some places.
In eastern Idaho, there has been a great demand from well drillers to deepen wells as they run dry. The IDWR’s eastern Idaho office has already received more than 600 requests for drilling permits in the first five months of the year. The department usually averages 400 applications for an entire year.
Officials say well-drilling companies in the Idaho Falls area are now backed up three to four weeks due to the heavy demand. Part of the problem is that in the past wells have only been drilled to the minimum depth.