Water Rights Rental Update

Wood River Valley Transaction Zones

This interim ground water rental policy delineates the Wood River aquifer into six zones:

1. The River Zone,
2. The Bellevue Zone,
3. The Ketchum Zone,
4. The Eastern Triangle Zone, and
5. The Hailey Zone,
6. The Western Triangle Zone

The river zone is a two hundred foot wide buffering of the Big Wood River and the major tributaries of Croy Creek, Deer Creek, East Fork, Trail Creek and Warm Springs Creek. Due to the direct and immediate connection between surface and ground waters within this two hundred foot wide river zone, all ground water pumping within the river zone will have a direct and immediate impact on surface water resources. No stream depletion analysis is required for rentals within the river zone, however all ground water rentals within this zone should be satisfied by ground water rights that are leased into the Bank from within this zone. All rentals of ground water within the river zone may be subject curtailment once the minimum stream flows of the Big Wood River are not being met.

The Ketchum zone covers all ground water rights located north of the point of diversion for the Hiawatha Canal(effectively the intersection of Highway 75 and Ohio Gulch Road). All ground water points of diversion north of Hiawatha Canal and not within the 200 foot wide river zone are part of the Ketchum Zone. The Ketchum zone includes all northern tributary valleys for the Big Wood River including Eagle Creek, East Fork, Greenhorn Creek, Lake Creek, Trail Creek and Warm Springs Creek. No stream depletion analyses are required for ground water to ground water rental requests that both originate (are leased) from and are satisfied (rented) within this zone.

All rental requests remain subject to standard rental review procedures to guard against injury and enlargement of water use.

The Hailey zone covers all ground water points of diversion south of the Ketchum zone, outside the river zone and north of the point of diversion for the Irrigation District #45 Bellevue Canal.

The Hailey zone extends to all central tributaries of the Big Wood River including Croy Creek, Deer Creek,Indian Creek and Quigley Creek. No stream depletion analyses are required for ground water to ground water rental requests that both originate from and are satisfied within this zone and rental requests remain subject to standard rental review procedures to guard against injury and enlargement of water use.

The Bellevue zone extends from the Hailey zone to the point of diversion for the Bypass Canal (effectively Glendale Road) and includes all ground water points of diversion tributary to Seaman’s Creek/Muldoon Canyon.  No stream depletion analyses are required for ground water to ground water rental requests that both originate from and are satisfied within this zone and rental requests remain subject to standard rental review procedures to guard against injury and enlargement of water use.

The final two zones cover the western and eastern halves of the confined and unconfined aquifers of the Bellevue triangle. Ground water in the western half of the triangle is hydraulically connected to surface water flowing to the Big Wood River while eastern ground waters flow in to Silver Creek and the Little Wood River. The two zones correspond roughly to all lands east and west of Kingsbury Lane. No stream depletion analyses or ground water impact analyses are required for ground water to ground water rental requests that both originate from and are satisfied within a zone and rental requests remain subject to standard rental review procedures to guard against injury and enlargement of water use.