Welcome to the Official Website for the
American Falls Reservoir District
1923-2023 Celebrating 100 years
History
The American Falls Reservoir District was formed in 1923 pursuant to the irrigation district statutes of Idaho. The Reservoir District is technically an irrigation district and as such is an instrumentality of the State of Idaho and in some instances is deemed a political subdivision. Title 43 of the Idaho Code sets forth statutory sections governing the operation of irrigation districts.
The district was originally organized at the time of the original construction of the American Falls Dam in January 1923.
The American Falls Dam was originally constructed under an unusual arrangement. Those irrigation companies that wished to purchase storage water in the American Falls Reservoir banded together and formed the American Falls Reservoir District. The American Falls Reservoir District bonded themselves and advanced money to the then Secretary of the Interior, so that the Bureau of Reclamation would proceed with the construction of the original dam in the 1920s. In consideration for the advance, the American Falls Reservoir District was made the beneficiary of a certain amount of acre feet of stored water from the American Falls Reservoir, created by the construction of the dam. The District paid off their original $1.5 million in bonds in record time.
Since that time, the American Falls Reservoir District has operated as the coordinating agency between the Bureau of Reclamation as owners of the dam and the five operating companies represented in the American Falls Reservoir District.
The District annually assesses the lands that receive the benefit from the water in a sufficient amount to pay their share of the operation and maintenance assessment of the American Falls Dam assessed by the Bureau of Reclamation annually. Additionally for the purpose of defraying the expense of the care, operation and management of the District’s affairs, the maintenance of the District’s organization, including per diem of officers and salaries of employees, and the maintaining and operation of the property of the District.
All water owned by the American Falls Reservoir District is delivered by five Carey Act canal companies whose delivery systems can service all of the lands located within the District. The District itself delivers none of its own water. These water deliveries are accomplished pursuant to agreements entered with the five canal companies.
The companies that comprised the American Falls Reservoir District are the North Side Canal Company, the Twin Falls Canal Company, the Aberdeen Springfield Canal Company, the Woodville Canal Company, and Martin Canal Company. Each company have varying amounts of the American Falls storage water which they own through their participation in the American Falls Reservoir District. They involve lands located in some seven counties and the total acreage within the District is approximately 430,000 acres.
In October of 1972, the United States Bureau of Reclamation imposed a restriction order on the existing American Falls Dam not allowing storage in the top eight feet of the reservoir. The holding capacity of the reservoir was reduced one-third from 1.7 million acre feet to 1.1 million acre feet. The American Falls Reservoir District, together with the other thirty-four Spaceholders approached the U.S. Congress and obtained the passage of Public Law 93-206. The act allowed the American Falls Reservoir District as the constructing agency, to coordinate the reconstruction of the American Falls dam. The District entered a falling water contract by which the Idaho Power Company agreed to retire $19.5 million of bonds plus interest over a 40 year period. The District, although bonding itself for the total cost of $40 million, would contract with the other thirty-four Spaceholders and assume their proportionate obligation for the retirement of $20.5 million bond over a 40 year period.
The Woodville Canal Company and the Martin Canal Company of Bonneville County left the American Falls Reservoir District in 1985.
American Falls Reservoir District 