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Feds Will Have a Key Role in Idaho's Water Dispute by Editors Our View, The Idaho Statesman, September 23, 2003

Water users and salmon advocates -- once at each other´s throats over Idaho water -- are now willing to talk to each other.

That´s good, as far as it goes. But it only goes so far.

The best the sides can do, really, is work on the short term -- come up with some agreement to release water in 2004 to help Idaho salmon migrate to the ocean.

That´s not a long-term agreement, a systematic strategy to save Idaho salmon. Irrigators and environmentalists can´t solve this on their own; federal agencies need to help out, too.

Keep that in mind when Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, gets the various players together to talk about about their differences over Idaho salmon and Idaho water. Much as we´d love to see Idahoans solve this issue, we know they´re not going to do it in a vacuum.

Crapo has brought the issue a long way. He has convinced environmental groups to put aside a pending and divisive lawsuit against the federal government. The groups were looking to get more water for fish through the courts; irrigators, in turn, accused environmentalists of wanting to dry up southern Idaho farmland.

The suit is on hold for another three weeks or so. But these negotiations are going to take time. Environmentalists shouldn´t be in a rush to take this fight to court, where no one will win.

There´s too much to sort out in three weeks:

• Salmon advocates want an iron-clad commitment. They want water released from reservoirs and sent down the Snake and Columbia rivers next year, when it would most help Idaho salmon migrate to the ocean.
• Water users want a commitment, too. They´ll give up water only if it comes from willing sellers.
• Federal agencies must commit to helping the farmers who give up water to protect Idaho fish. They also have to make good on their commitment to protect salmon, with something that makes sense and has teeth.

Painting this as an us-vs.-them fight is unfair to both sides.

Environmental groups took a positive step by putting aside the lawsuit. Norm Semanko, the leader of a coalition of water groups, correctly called it an act of good faith.

It´s only a start. The federal agencies have to do their share. They have to listen to critics and commit to the fish. The uneasy truce between irrigators and salmon advocates won´t solve long-term issues-- and will be tested every time the water runs short.