News Release Archive

Land purchase marks the beginning of next well

Media Contact: Michael Coffey, (208) 378-5020, mcoffey@usbr.gov
Megan Sloan, msloan@usbr.gov

For Release: December 03, 2018

Water Exchange Pilot Well for Lewiston Orchards Irrigation DistrictBOISE, Idaho – The next phase of the Lewiston Orchards Water Exchange and Title Transfer project, construction of a second well, is underway with the purchase of land and city permitting complete. In July, the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District procured land located just east of the first well site as the home for the second well and secured final city permits in October. With land purchase and permitting complete, contractor solicitation and selection can commence leading to construction.

The project purpose is to incrementally replace current surface water supplied from the Lapwai Creek watershed with groundwater pumped from the deep regional aquifer. This comprehensive solution addresses long-standing issues surrounding the operations of the Lewiston Orchards Project. At project completion, the well field will provide patrons with 8,500 acre-feet of irrigation water pumped nearly 2,000 feet up from the deep regional aquifer while leaving currently diverted water instream to benefit Snake River steelhead and protect the natural and cultural resources of the Nez Perce Tribe.

The Lewiston Orchards Project, located predominantly on the Nez Perce Reservation, is a Reclamation-owned project within the Lapwai Creek watershed. The project is operated and maintained by the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District, which serves approximately 20,000 patrons for local domestic and irrigation purposes.

“From my perspective this is a great thing. Living next to Sweetwater Creek and seeing the increased flow, I can see a noticeable difference in the creek maintaining and cleaning itself. There is much less silt on the bottom of the creek which is great for the fish,” said Nez Perce Tribal member, Emmit Taylor, Sr.

In 2017, the District operated the first constructed pilot well, which was completed in December 2016, allowing for the first exchange water to remain instream for the benefit of fish and habitat in the Lapwai Creek watershed while providing groundwater for patron use and avoiding water restrictions.

“Being a homeowner in the Orchards since 1955, we are delighted to see resolution towards our watering problems. We are very happy to see more water on a more reliable basis and of better quality. We are happy to see an end to the litigation because that was not resolving anything; that money is now being spent on a solution that meets everyone’s needs,” said Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District, Bob and Corene Wightman.

With the land purchase and permitting complete, the District is actively working to secure a construction contractor, with hopes to begin construction next summer.

For more information about the Lewiston Orchards Project Water Exchange and Title Transfer Project, contact Megan Sloan, Reclamation project manager, at (208) 383-2222; Barney Metz, LOID general manager, at (208) 746-8235; Dave Johnson, Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries resource manager at (208) 843-7320; or Jerry Klemm, Lower Clearwater Exchange Project chairman at (208) 750-6432.

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