Island Park Idaho

The water conservancy folks in our area are talking once again about rebuilding the Teton Dam. The dam, built in the early ’70’s failed catastrophically in June of 1976 wiping out a significant portion of the farms, homes and businesses in Southeastern Idaho. While cleanup was swift and effective, the scars from that tragedy run deep around here.

But in all fairness, there’s no question that there is a need to better manage our water resources, especially as a cycle of droughts seems to be deepening. The life-blood of Southeast Idaho is farming. The life-blood of farming is water. Water is more predictably available when its stored in reservoirs.

On the other side of the issue, the factors that caused the failure of the dam haven’t changed. The dam failed because the canyon walls are honeycombed with fissures and voids that still exist (which allow water to run around the dam, creating significant erosion and eventually failure.) Is it possible to seal those fissures? Some say yes — others aren’t so sure. Is it worth the risk? Again, some say yes and others still feel the pain of the last time.

This is an emotionally-charged issue around here. Most people have an opinion. And Idahoans are not shy about expressing those opinions. No matter which way you slice it, this issue is complex and will require a significant amount of scientific study before any reasonable conclusion can be reached. We’ll keep you posted as things progress.