TITLE 42

IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE — WATER RIGHTS AND RECLAMATION

CHAPTER 7

HEADGATES AND MEASURING DEVICES

42-701.  Installation and maintenance of controlling works and measuring devices by water appropriators — Procedure upon failure to install and maintain — Measuring and reporting of diversions — Penalty for failure to comply — Enforcement procedure — Report filing fee. (1) The appropriators or users of any public waters of the state of Idaho shall maintain to the satisfaction of the director of the department of water resources suitable headgates and controlling works at the point where the water is diverted. Each device shall be of such construction that it can be locked and kept closed by the watermaster or other officer in charge, and shall also be of such construction as to regulate the flow of water at the diversion point. Each such appropriator shall construct and maintain, when required by the director of the department of water resources, a rating flume or other measuring device at such point as is most practical in such canal, ditch, wellhead or pipeline for the purpose of assisting the watermaster or department in determining the amount of water that may be diverted into said canal, ditch, wellhead or pipeline from the stream, well or other source of public water. Plans for such headgates, rating flumes or other measuring devices shall be approved by the department of water resources.

(2)  If an appropriator determines that installation and maintenance of a measuring device required by the director would be burdensome for his diversion, the appropriator may, upon approval of the director, execute an agreement with the director and submit to the director such information and technical data concerning the diversion and pumping facilities as the director determines necessary to establish the relationship of power usage to water withdrawal by any pump used to divert public water.

(3)  Any appropriator or user of the public waters of the state of Idaho that neglects or refuses to construct or maintain such headgates, controlling works, or measuring devices, or has not executed an agreement in lieu of a measuring device as provided in subsection (2) of this section, upon receiving ten (10) days’ notice from the director of the department of water resources within which to begin and diligently pursue to completion the construction or installation of the required device or devices or to begin and diligently pursue to completion a remedy to such defects as exist in accordance with said notice, then the director of the department of water resources may order the duly qualified and acting watermaster of the water district to shut off and refuse to deliver at the point of diversion, the water owned by such appropriator or user until the user does construct and maintain such headgates, controlling works or measuring devices or remedy the defects which exist or the director may take action pursuant to section 42-1701B, Idaho Code, to enforce the requirement to construct, install or maintain such devices.

(4)  The appropriators or users of the public waters of the state of Idaho shall be given a reasonable time within which to complete construction of such headgates, controlling works or measuring devices, depending upon the size and extent thereof, when due diligence has been used in the prosecution of such work.

(5)  All appropriators of the public waters of the state of Idaho who are given thirty (30) days’ written notice by the director prior to the beginning of the irrigation season but no later than March 15 of any year, shall measure their water diversions and report said diversions annually thereafter on a form approved by the director of the department of water resources. Such report shall include: a legal description of the point of diversion, the number assigned to each water right diverting from the public waters of the state, the maximum authorized rate of diversion, the maximum rate at which diversions have been made during the reporting period, the total volume diverted during the reporting period, and a description of the physical changes to the diversion works that have been made during the reporting period. The appropriator shall furnish each year the depth to water in any well prior to commencement of pumping, the depth to water during the pumping period, and the pressure in the pipe distribution system during diversion if the well is not free flowing. When the director of the department of water resources determines that any person is in substantial violation of any provision of this section or any rule, permit, condition of approval or order issued or promulgated pursuant to this section, the director may commence an administrative enforcement action by issuing a written notice of violation in accordance with the provisions of section 42-1701B, Idaho Code. Subsections (5) and (6) of this section shall not apply to:

(a)  any appropriator or water user with respect to a water right included in an active water district created pursuant to chapter 6, title 42, Idaho Code, the annual report of which meets the reporting requirements of section 42-708, Idaho Code;

(b)  any irrigation district or ground water district having shown to the satisfaction of the director that they are currently making and recording sufficient measurements of their diversions with measuring methods acceptable to the director and upon their agreement to provide an annual report of their diversions to the director in substantially the same form as required in section 42-708, Idaho Code; and

(c)  any water right included in an active water measurement district created pursuant to this chapter.

(6)  The director of the department of water resources shall collect a report processing fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per diversion required to be reported, including those diversions covered by an agreement in lieu of a measuring device as provided in subsection (2) of this section. Such fee shall be submitted with the annual report of diversions and well data. All such fees received by the department shall be deposited in the water administration account created pursuant to section 42-238a, Idaho Code, for use by the department to collect, analyze and report water use information and to regulate water withdrawal and use.

(7)  All domestic uses, as defined in section 42-111, Idaho Code, and all stock watering uses, as defined in section 42-1401A, Idaho Code, shall be exempt from the measuring device installation and maintenance, measuring and reporting requirements of this section.

History:

[(42-701) 1899, p. 223, sec. 31; reen. R.C., sec. 3282; am. 1913, ch. 68, p. 305; am. 1915, ch. 34, sec. 16, p. 111; am. 1917, ch. 53, part of sec. 1, p. 122; reen. C.L., sec. 3282; C.S., sec. 5616; am. 1927, ch. 69, sec. 2, p. 85; I.C.A., sec. 41-601; am. 1994, ch. 430, sec. 1, p. 1388; am. 1995, ch. 291, sec. 1, p. 1014; am. 1996, ch. 298, sec. 2, p. 978; am. 1997, ch. 374, sec. 1, p. 1193; am. 1998, ch. 173, sec. 6, p. 604.]