HMJ 014: More Reservoirs, or Smarter Water Use? (2026)

Summary: Urges federal agencies to work with Idaho to study and pursue expanded water storage in the Upper Snake River Basin, including raising existing dams, planning new reservoirs, and completing an updated basin study to identify priority projects.

ICL’s Position: Neutral

Current Bill Status: Committee - Senate Resources & Environment

Issue Areas: Water, Dams, Basin Study

House Joint Memorial 014 emphasizes the importance of water to Idaho and expresses support for several actions aimed at increasing water storage in southern and eastern regions of our state. The memorial encourages studying the feasibility of raising existing dams such as Minidoka, Jackson Lake, and American Falls; supporting planning for possible new medium sized reservoirs in eastern Idaho; exploring creative financing options for these projects; and completing an updated basin study to identify priority water storage opportunities.

A comprehensive, updated basin study of the Upper Snake River Basin is an important first step before the state moves forward with serious consideration of new water storage projects. Such a study should evaluate not only the potential for raising dams or building new reservoirs, but also opportunities to conserve water, reduce demand, and improve the efficiency of existing water use.

Large scale storage projects, particularly new dams, are complex, expensive, and often controversial undertakings that can have significant environmental and community impacts. Before pursuing these types of projects, Idaho should carefully examine whether water conservation, improved management, and more efficient use of existing supplies could address many of the same challenges. For that reason, we are neutral on HJM 014 but believe any basin study should prioritize conservation and demand reduction alongside potential storage expansion.