north idaho water law
waters in the state of idaho belong to the public and cannot be owned by any individual or business entity. if a person or entity needs to use public water, a "water right" is granted according to the state's appropriation doctrine. the date that the right was granted (the priority date) determines who will have the highest priority if there is a water shortage.
idaho law dictates that the water must be used for a beneficial use such as irrigation, hydropower, water distribution by water districts, municipal use, recreation, fish and wildlife, and others.
as north idaho and the surrounding areas continue to grow, so does the demand for water. in 2006, the idaho legislature passed a bill to adjudicate all surface and groundwater water rights from moscow, idaho north to the canadian border. this north idaho adjudication will process, catalog, examine, and confirm all existing north idaho water rights.
if you have questions about how the north idaho adjudication will affect you, please do not hesitate to call. in addition to the north idaho adjudication, bredeson law group help water districts, individuals, and business entities with a wide variety of water appropriation and management issues including:
- new water rights applications
- loss of water rights
- transfer or change of existing water rights
- forming water districts
- evaluating water rights
- prior appropriation
- water permits and water licenses
- water claims
- notices of claim
- municipal and domestic water use
- irrigation interpretation of the mccarran amendment
- tribal water rights
water rights clients can range from individual families to large corporations including:
- farmers and ranchers
- nurseries
- real estate developers
- municipal water districts
- private water districts
- commercial and industrial water users