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Keep it flowing
Karl Dreher is no stranger to water resource issues. With more than 30 years experience in water-related engineering activities, he has been working as the director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) since 1995, where he is responsible for managing the many issues facing the department.
The department’s main function is management of publicly owned water resources. As director, Dreher believes his role goes beyond that of a management-figure to include providing “a leadership and a culture under which people can successfully do their jobs.
Like all appointed officials, Dreher works at the pleasure of the governor, meaning his position can be changed at any time. That added level of instability, says Dreher, "is an appropriate check and balance to his dependability as director.
"The system makes me accountable for what happens—which is appropriate. [And] right or wrong, I’m responsible when something goes wrong.”
In addition to his managerial role, Dreher is expected to deal with significant issues on a daily basis. His top three priorities, all of which he has already at least begun to address, are:
1. Undertake the Snake River Basin adjudication.
2. Address conjunctive management.
3. Determine the validity of flow augmentation for salmon survival.
Dreher is quick to say that many other people were also involved in the department’s accomplishments, including:
Snake River Basin adjudication
Ongoing since 1987, the adjudication is the largest attempted to date in Idaho, and likely in the nation, with as many as 150,000 water rights established so far. The department’s involvement, expected to be completed by the end of this year, has contributed to a binding decree of water rights that may not have existed in Idaho’s history.
Dreher came into his position when the adjudication was already under way, but in a time when his predecessor and the presiding judge were not working well together. He says one of his biggest advantages was that, as an outsider, he didn’t have any baggage. He was able to start with a clean slate, which is fairly uncommon in a state job. He believes his healthy working relationship with the then presiding judge, Daniel Hurlbutt Jr., contributed to the overall success of the adjudication.
Conjunctive management
Idaho’s water law, established in the 1800s, is known as the Prior Appropriation Doctrine and is based on the common law of “first in time, first in right.” At that time, however, agreements were based solely on use of surface water. In fact, the use of groundwater didn’t really become an issue until the 1950s, when the technology to create sophisticated well systems became feasible.
One of the problems with using groundwater, however, is that depletion is not immediately apparent. Surface water use causes instantaneous depletion. So applying the same system of administration to both surface water and groundwater created an immediate problem—hence the issue of conjunctive management.
One of Dreher’s first priorities was to address the issue and interpret legislation set out in 1951 deeming the system of prior appropriation applicable to both ground and surface water. Although his decision was widely disputed, he isn’t concerned: “I don’t mind at all that people disagree with what I’ve done because we’ve never done this in Idaho; it’s important that we get it done … and get it right.”
Flow augmentation for salmon survival
Another prominent issue facing the department is the breaching of Idaho dams and its affect on salmon. Previously, the Bureau of Reclamation has used water reserved in a water bank releasing 427,000 acre feet—more than 139 billion gallons of water—every year to augment flows. When Dreher took his position, there was a movement seeking 1 million acre feet for flow augmentation.
To address this concern, Dreher headed studies in cooperation with Idaho Fish and Game to determine if flow augmentation does any good. Salmon were tagged at fish hatcheries, allowing for detection at various places downstream to determine travel time. The experiment determined that there was no conclusive evidence that increasing flows actually contributes to salmon survival.
Dreher was successful in maintaining flow augmentation at the 427,000 acre feet level. “The debate lives on,” he cautions, noting that there are continuing efforts to keep data fresh.
GIS implementation for water management
Under Dreher’s directorship, the department has implemented what they believe to be the first Geographic Information System (GIS) for water rights management. The department purchases high quality digital maps from NASA and overlays them onto tabular data diagramming water rights. Using infrared technology with a resolution of up to 30 meters, they can easily see what areas have been irrigated and whether or not those areas fall within the designated water right. Dreher says the implementation of GIS for water management has been extremely useful and has been a “tremendously powerful tool in identifying illegal water use.”
New business strategies
A few years into office, Dreher began to notice significant inefficiencies within the department. To fix the problem, he hired a consultant to teach supervisors a concept called business process engineering, where supervisors thoroughly analyze their job duties via diagrams and narrative descriptions. The process was tedious, lasting about six months. And when it was finished, they did it again. Only this time, the question wasn’t “how do I do my job?” it was “how can I do it better?” Through this process, Dreher’s department was able to realize new levels of efficiency and even develop an entire new computer system based on those levels.
Dreher and his staff face many other issues. One major concern in the Treasure Valley is the risk of severe flooding. Dreher cautions that the valley may be woefully unprepared for a significant flood and reminds people to be aware of where their property is situated and to buy flood insurance. Another issue is water conservation, which Dreher says is “philosophically a good thing, but has its consequences.”
Needless to say, never-ending water management obstacles keep Dreher on his toes. But his experience, confidence, and a touch of finesse prepare him for the challenge.
Written by Natalie Orgill
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