BONNEVILLE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) – A Bonneville County couple claims a nearby aquifer recharge project has damaged their home and significantly decreased its value. This comes as the Gem State has made funding for similar aquifer recharge projects a priority in order to ensure water for Idaho’s agriculture industry.
Dana and Darla Miller built their dream home nearly three decades ago on the corner of 55th East and US Highway 26. But they say that the dream took a turn for the worse in 2024 after a nearby field and unused gravel pit were converted into an aquifer recharge basin.
According to the Bonneville County Board of Commissioners, the projects were made in partnership with the State of Idaho without county input.
Tuesday, the Board of Commissioners voted in favor of considering a moratorium, potentially pausing development and planning of recharge projects in the county in lieu of further study.
The Millers are now appealing to the Bonneville County Planning and Zoning Commission to block plans for the preliminary gravel pit and eventual recharge basin expansion toward the northeast of their property.
“Hundreds of thousands of dollars that they’ve lost.”
Dana and Darla Miller told Local News 8 they quickly noticed changes to their home after the Enterprize Canal Company began construction on the recharge basin.
“During that compaction, we thought we were having an earthquake,” said homeowner Dana Miller. “The next day, afterwards, we noticed…two cracks in our ceiling upstairs here.”
The Millers believe the construction of the basin impacted their home’s foundation. But the couple also say as the basin was filled, sand filled their taps and the water from their well.
As the project went on, the Millers and their real estate broker, Rick Robinson of Real Estate 270, say their home, once valued at nearly $2 million, has decreased in value by nearly 25%.
“That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars that they’ve lost from what these people are doing right in their backyard,” Robinson told Local News 8.
However, the couple has not undergone an evaluation of their foundation to prove the project damaged it.
In an interview with Local News 8, Wesley Hipke, ESPA Recharge Program manager for the Idaho Water Resource Board, said while he doesn’t disqualify the Miller’s claims, it’s difficult to prove a project caused the alleged damage.
“Their problems are real,” said Hipke. “Did the recharge or the construction of that site cause that damage? It’s a tough thing to prove.”
Hipke also told Local News 8 some of the Millers’ complaints may be unrelated to the nearby recharge project, as they’re not uncommon for the area beyond the recharge basin.
“One of the complaints they have is that doing recharge caused sand to go into their well,” Hipke said. “From staff talking to people in the area, people that aren’t near recharge sites, that’s not necessarily an uncommon occurrence.”
March 26, the Idaho Water Resource Board installed a sand filter on the couple’s property to try to solve the issue.
Concerns over recharge basin expansion
According to the September 2024 meeting of the Idaho Water Resource Board Aquifer Stabilization Committee, the Enterprize Canal Comanpy’s current expansion project aims to widen the existing recharge basin through a preliminary gravel pit to the northeast of the Miller’s home.
The proposed expansion has sparked additional concerns for the Millers. Darla tells Local News 8 she was hospitalized with severe COVID-19 during the pandemic, which requires her to be on oxygen during the night. She worries that the construction will impact her already labored breathing.
“The dirt, even from the first pit, was awful on my lungs,” said Darla. “(I was) constantly having issues with breathing.”
Dana Miller said their family is in support of aquifer recharge, but he questions why the Idaho Water Resource Board chooses to build projects close to homes.
“There are thousands of acres of farmland where these can be done way far away from homes,” said Dana Miller.
“Not in My Backyard”
Despite the couple’s fears, studies by the IWRB have found that areas like the 5.6-acre recharge basin are some of the only areas in eastern Idaho where recharge basins are effective due to geological conditions. Enterprize Canal has said the basin has the potential to send hundreds of acre-feet of water into the aquifer.
“(In) Twin Falls and Jerome, you have these canals that go out across the desert, the middle of nowhere, and so you have these really large basins that we’ve been able to dump water there around 300 acres. Those conditions don’t exist in the upper valley. And so we’re dependent on a bunch of smaller basins.”
But as they develop more basins and recharge wells in populated areas of Southeast Idaho, more residents have lodged complaints and concerns.
Blackfoot farmer and recharge advocate Brian Murdock says the conflict between homeowners and Idaho recharge projects comes down to the myth of “Your Own Private Idaho.”
“We kind of have this nimby problem of everybody saying, well, ‘We want growth.’ ‘We want to see everything happen that is going to be good for the economic benefit of east Idaho.’ But we really don’t want to have it happen in my backyard,” said Murdock.
Enterprize Canal Company responds to the Miller’s appeal
The Millers say they are moving forward with their appeal of the proposed gravel pit and plans for the additional basin.
“The fact that they’ve chosen to do three of them right around our house and destroy our not only property value or our quality of life, that’s our main point, are we want them to know that they can choose better spots,” said Dana Miller.
A hearing is scheduled for April 2 at 1:30 p.m. at the Bonneville County Courthouse.
In response to Local News 8, the Enterprize Canal Company released the following statement addressing the Miller’s concerns:
“Eastern Idaho’s water future and security depends on sustainable water solutions, and Enterprize Canal Company’s essential aquifer recharge project on 55th Road is key to protecting it. On certain years, millions of acre-feet of spring runoff leave the State once the reservoir system fills, and the 55th Road Project prevents some of this critical water from leaving Idaho. This project is a lifeline to the sustainability of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, which directly affects Eastern Idaho’s agricultural-centric economy and, by extension, every local citizen. In partnership with the State of Idaho, Enterprize carefully selected the 55th Road Project site for its geological efficacy, position in the Aquifer, water access, and zoned-for-agriculture location. Throughout this Project, Enterprize has been collaborative with neighboring property owners, and remains dedicated to scientific and safe planning and implementation of the Project, including implementation of rigorous water quality testing.” – Enterprize Canal Company
