A Collaborative, Market-Driven Approach to Water Management
Teton Basin Water Users Association
Irrigation equipment feeds water into the agricultural fields in the Teton Basin. Photo credit: Camrin Dengel
Declines in Teton Valley, Idaho’s underground aquifer and water supply are having a significant impact on local livelihoods, fish, and wildlife. In response, an unlikely and effective partnership of local irrigators, agencies, scientists and conservation groups is finding solutions to change the way we work together and how water is managed to sustain the future of agriculture. The Teton Basin Water Users Association (TBWUA) is a group of agricultural producers, conservation groups, municipal and county leaders, and experts in hydrology and economics of the rural west who are working together to develop a more stable water supply for all users in Teton Valley. LegacyWorks Group has been serving as a facilitator, collaborator, fundraiser, and advisor to the group since its inception in 2017. We have worked with TBWUA to encourage and support collaboration, capacity building, and the potential within each member of the group to enable impact at the pace and scale required to address Teton Valley’s complex water challenges while we still have the chance.
For TBWUA, the complex challenge in front of them is to generate and implement an integrated water management plan that converts cheap and abundant early-season water into valuable summer water through the practice of groundwater recharge. The idea to re-implement flood irrigation practices as a means to improve and recharge the local aquifer was modeled and implemented by TBWUA members in 2017. Seven years of data collection and modeling of Teton Valley incidental recharge by the TBWUA and our partners at the Henry’s Fork Foundation demonstrate the success and ecological significance of this approach.
Today, the TBWUA faces an exciting opportunity to scale their work as the Teton Basin is required by the state of Idaho to rapidly form a new water district. The TBWUA is sharing their critical learnings and data with other Valley constituents to inform an integrated Teton Valley Water Mitigation Plan that scales their market-driven approach and benefits the entire ecosystem.
The market is driven by the premise that water is worth significantly more ecologically and economically in July and August than it is in April and May. Our primary strategy is to replace declining snowpack storage with groundwater storage, thereby delaying the delivery of headwater basin water to downstream users and raising local aquifer levels. The Teton Basin geology results in instream delivery of water 1-3 months after it is recharged into the ground, raising aquifer levels in the interim, and increasing late-season water supplies. In essence, the market serves to turn April and May runoff into functional July and August water.
The demand side of the market is formed by beneficiaries of the more abundant late-season water: individual downstream farmers, downstream canal companies and irrigation districts, and local municipalities who face increased pumping costs due to the declining aquifer. The supply side of the market is composed of irrigators in the Teton Basin who hold water rights and have the ability to increase incidental recharge through modified irrigation practices.
This remarkable work is thanks to partnerships some would consider unthinkable. Agricultural producers and conservationists working closely on a collaborative solution that brings benefits to landowners, conservationists, as well as the community and watershed at large. Wyatt Penfold was one of the first partners to step into the fold and to generate solutions. His initiative and work was honored this spring as he received a 2025 National Wetland Award and is in large part why TBWUA exists today. In July 2024, the group successfully incorporated as their own 501c(3) and today, continues to actively recruit new members to enable broader impact. Current project partners include Trail Creek Sprinkler Irrigation Company, Garden Water Company, Fox Creek Canal Company, Cherry Grove Canal Company, individual water rights holders, Teton Soil Conservation District, Friends of Teton River, Henry’s Fork Foundation, LegacyWorks Group, Teton Regional Land Trust, Teton County Farm Bureau, NRCS, City of Driggs, City of Victor, and Teton County, Idaho.
Work at this scale requires a dynamic and collaborative approach. In 2024, TBWUA reached the close of the 3-year NRCS grant that initially funded the project. The group is actively seeking funding to continue to educate and collaborate with the community through data dissemination and public convenings, hosting regular TBWUA meetings, coalition building, and developing current Teton Basin canal maps. We are grateful to the Community Foundation of Teton Valley’s Competitive Grant as well as to an anonymous donor for their support for this work.
We need your help!
Your generous contribution to help us continue our work in the Teton Basin is essential to the maintenance and improvement of our community's water resources. Every donation, no matter the size, makes a significant impact. Please consider donating today to the Teton Basin Water Users Association by visiting our website at tetonwaterusersassociation.org or contacting us at tetonbasinwaterusers@gmail.com. We appreciate your support!