County gets preliminary aprroval to pump water out of Anderson Ranch Reservoir

Editor's Note: News of this story came to us after we had sent the April 3 issue of the Mountain Home News to press. We will be following up next week with a more detailed article after we have had a chance to to speak with our local officials and go over order issued by the Department of Water Resources.

The Idaho Department of Water Resources approved an application for Elmore County to pump water out of Anderson Ranch Reservoir to replenish the county's aquifer. The Tuesday decision came with 28 conditions that the county will have to meet including monitoring water flows on the Boise River.

The preliminary approval will now go through an appeal process for anyone wishing to challenge the decision. The county will still need to obtain a permit to pump the water from IDWR in a separate water right approval and receive permits from the BLM and National Forest Service.