Water issue (Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Sandpoint: how much, college, camping)

[organicgirl]

Is there a water issue in Idaho? Is there a shortage, what is the quality? We are considering a move from Michigan and want to have a garden. Also, how much does the sun shine? We don't get much in this state and want more!
Let me know!

[Sage of Sagle]

The only "water" issue we seem to have is that you can't go more than 100 yards without hitting a stream, pond, or creek. Most wells in the area are extremely productive. Ours is low-producing so we're doing a new one, and we hope to get 12-15 gpm from the new one.

Here's the page for Sandpoint, with weather averages and days of cloud cover:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Sandpoint-Idaho.html

[lady_jet]

There had been a drought out here (Oregon, WA, ID) from 2000-2005 (5 years more or less--even Seattle was dryer than the norm and had more sun), then we got rain in 2006. Where ever you go to look at land, ask how much the well produces (if there is one).

If not, and you get bare land, have a "Water Witch" (every one calls them something different, but they use a forked stick cut from a tree to witch for water) come out and do a site search for water. They really do work, so they can tell you where the water is, but only digging a well will tell you how much and how many gallons flow per minute. They did it on some property we had bought down in Northern California before we moved to Walla Walla and they found water (the well had 24 gallons per minute, which in that area was really good). We sold that 16-acre parcel when we moved to Walla Walla, so knowing that there was water there, was a very good thing to know in advance.

Idaho gets a lot more sun than the midwest (I grew up in East Central WI and moved out here after college), and I moved to WA (and lived in Seattle for 20 of those years) moved to CA for 4,and Walla Walla for 6, more for the fact that it was more open to women doing jobs that were not necessarily gender specific, than you could get in the Midwest and I've been out here 26 years now.

I love the ID, SE WA, and NE OR areas here in the West. The people are nice, the land is good, the hiking and camping area extraordinary. You'll love it here.

Jet

[my3arabs]

On the eastern side of ID they do have some water problems. They have been in a drought for about 7-8 yrs. The only fighting has really been in the Mud Lake area and now over here in Twin Falls county.

Two yrs ago the East side had a big problem with the wells dring up and many ppl had to have their wells dug deeper or even had to dig new wells. The one that we were on in the North East side of Idaho Falls was starting to run low and we were getting too much sand. They have had to drill deeper with it now and are doing fine.

Here is Buhl, they don't seem to have a big problem but they still fight over water, especially when there isn't anything else to fight over. There aren't as many different crops over here than what they have in IF. This is mostly, beets, hay and corn, very few spuds here.