Frequent monitoring of water levels throughout Teton Valley
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This partnership of irrigators, conservationists and scientists is delivering real results.
In the midst of a challenging water year, the Teton Water User’s Association had its most successful season to date, returning 10,714 acre feet of water to the aquifer, that’s 3,491,170,000 gallons (~3.5 billion gallons). For comparison, Taggart Lake in nearby Grand Teton National Park holds about 8,800 acre feet of water.
Water Year 2021 brought drought conditions to Teton Valley. A dry fall in 2020 sent us into the winter with low soil moisture. A below average snowpack and abnormally dry spring meant that runoff came early and was absorbed into the ground, the Snake River Storage complex struggled to fill and irrigators drew water from storage early in the summer. Many Water rights in Teton Valley were out of priority in early July, about 2-3 weeks earlier than a normal year. Drought conditions continued through the summer and early fall, with sporadic rain doing more harm to crops in the field than to alleviate drought conditions. Reservoirs were dramatically low at the end of the irrigation season, setting up a troubling scenario. It will be a challenge get storage back to 100% by summer of 2022.
The contributions of the irrigators in the Teton Basin will be an important part of the solution for water management for seasons to come.
Program Participants
This year 7 agricultural water managers (canal companies or individuals with significant water rights) modified irrigation practices in 14 canals and 2 flood irrigation sites to contribute water to incidental recharge.
Recharge to Local Aquifer
10,714 acre-feet (AF) of water was added to groundwater through the Teton Water Users Association in 2021.
Darby Creek sub watershed: 2,724 acre feet
Fox Creek sub watershed: 3,845 acre feet
North Leigh Creek sub watershed: 1,486 acre feet
South Leigh Creek sub watershed: 7 acre feet
Trail Creek sub watershed: 2,652 acre feet
Impact to Teton River and Downstream Users
Model projections indicate that 10,714 acre feet of water recharged creates a resulting impact of increased flow in the main-stem of the Teton River by about 27 cfs during the latter part of the irrigation season. This added water helps to meet water demand for downstream water users in Teton Valley. Fish, wildlife and recreationists also benefit from added streamflow.
Season 2023 Overview
“We are learning that methods we knew to work in the past—like flood irrigation—can have great benefits for the future of farming and our aquifer. Thanks to Friends of the Teton River, we are also able to quantify [aquifer recharge] results through scientific monitoring, as well as our own observations that recharge is working.”
In water year 2023, an above average snowpack and a cold, wet spring created a slow start to the farming season with plenty of water available for irrigation. These natural conditions set-up irrigators to dedicate water rights to incidental recharge during late spring and early summer. The highest number of participating canals since inception of the aquifer recharge program meant that water was being recharged across a large area of the Teton Valley. An above average water supply and a cool start to the growing season allowed water users to dedicate water rights for incidental recharge well into the summer season.
New leadership the from the agricultural community re-invigorated the Teton Basin Water Users Association (TBWUA) and summer 2023 marked the most water dedicated to incidental recharge since the inception of the program.
Impact to Teton River and Downstream Users
Model projections indicate that, for 14,000 acre-feet of recharge, the additional streamflow contribution between June and October is around 20 -25 cfs of continuous flow in the Teton River. This added water helps to meet water demand for downstream water users in Teton Valley. Fish, wildlife and recreationists also benefit from added streamflow.
Program Participants
In 2023, there were 5 participating canal companies in the incidental recharge program, including three of Teton Valley’s largest canal companies: Trail Creek Sprinkler Irrigation Company, Garden Water Company, and Cherry Grove Canal Company. These water managers modified irrigation practices in 18 canals and contributed to incidental recharge.
Recharge to Local Aquifer
Participating canal companies worked to dedicate water to incidental recharge, adding 14,106 acre-feet of water to groundwater through the TBWUA in 2023.
Darby Creek sub watershed: 3,111 acre-feet
Trail Creek sub watershed: 2,454 acre-feet
North Leigh Creek sub watershed: 1,728 acre-feet
Fox Creek sub watershed: 6,616 acre-feet
Teton Creek sub watershed: 107 acre-feet
2023 Summary
The large volume of water dedicated to incidental recharge showed proof that leadership and collaboration from irrigators is a key component to accomplishing goals for water management through incidental recharge.
In 2023, the TBWUA transitioned to leading the incidental recharge program in the Teton Valley. The TBWUA established a 501(c) nonprofit organization, with election of a board of directors from the local agriculture and conservation community to guide leadership decisions moving forward. This success means there will be no need for Friends of the Teton River to manage or fund incidental recharge in the future.
Leadership from within the community of water users bodes well for the longevity of the incidental recharge program and is evidence of the gravity of the work that delivered the group to this point and the community investment that will sustain the program in the future.
The past three years of NRCS funding has positioned the TBWUA to continue incidental recharge work in the Teton Valley and to explore and execute community water management solutions.
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In water year 2022, cold and wet spring conditions delayed snowmelt from a dry winter with below average snowpack. These conditions led to a conservative start to the irrigation season, with water-users focused on conserving water in preparation for the summer months. Due to the meager snowpack and low water supply, junior water users in the Teton watershed were curtailed earlier than normal in the end of June, ending incidental recharge about 1-2 weeks earlier than past years. The Fox Creek Canal Company did not participate in the incidental recharge program in 2022, after contributing the most acre-feet of any canal company in water year 2021.
As expected, the cool spring, early curtailments and loss of participation from Fox Creek Canal Company really impacted the quantity of water recharged in 2022. In total, we recharged around 5,000 acre-feet of water, about half of our goal.
Program Participants
In 2022, there were 5 participants in the Teton Water Users Association incidental recharge program, including three of Teton Valley’s largest canal companies: Trail Creek Sprinkler Irrigation Company, Garden Water Company, and Cherry Grove Canal Company. These water managers modified irrigation practices in 9 canals and contributed to incidental recharge.
Recharge to Local Aquifer
Participating canal companies worked to dedicate water to incidental recharge despite a slow and late runoff, adding 4,930 acre-feet of water to groundwater through the Teton Water Users Association in 2022.
Darby Creek sub watershed: 3,074 acre-feet
North Leigh Creek sub watershed: 804 acre-feet
Trail Creek sub watershed: 1,052 acre-feet
Impact to Teton River and Downstream Users
Model projections indicate that, for 5,000 acre-feet of recharge, the additional streamflow contribution between June 15 and October 31 is 2,161 acre-feet. And that equates to an increase of about 5-7cfs in the main-stem of the Teton River. This added water helps to meet water demand for downstream water users in Teton Valley. Fish, wildlife and recreationists also benefit from added streamflow.
2022 Summary
Despite challenging weather conditions, including a wet, cool spring followed by a quick transition to a dry, warm summer, participants noted a difference in water availability, even during an atypical year. This shows further proof of the benefit of this program to local water supply and the adaptability of this practice in challenging water years.
Currently, developing conversations about water administration and water use taking place at the state level, and renewed commitment from the local agriculture community for taking a leadership role in water management are driving next steps for the Teton Water Users Association. These factors are centering conversations around the incidental aquifer recharge program and bode well for an increase in recharge to the local aquifer in water year 2023. Moving forward we continue to strive for recharging 30-40 thousand acre-feet of water annually as the next program milestone.
Program Summary
Below are charts showing water recharge in acre-feet throughout the course of the program. Water availability, timing and irrigator participation affect the annual amount of monitored incidental recharge into the system.
The charts above show water recharged by the Teton Basin Water User’s Association between 2018-2023.
The bubble chart in the top left shows each canal system’s cumulative recharge contributions (2018-2023). The top right chart shows the annual contributions by canal system. The lower chart shows the annual totals of recharged acre-feet for the program as a whole.
To view a specific water system’s yearly data in more detail, click on the bubble for that system. To see all of the systems, click on a blank space in the bubble chart.
Partner Perspectives
“We’re all in this together. If we are to devise durable solutions to water availability for the future, we must think about both agricultural and residential users, farmers and outdoor enthusiasts, natural ecosystems, and the economics of water.”
– Max Ludington
“Educating our community is a very important piece to being successful. By sharing what we learn, we are not only getting local producers to buy-in to recharge, the community is understanding the importance of what it is and the benefits to the farmer, the aquifer, and our Basin.”
—Lynn Bagley, Teton Soil Conservation District President and Friends of the Teton River Board Member
