Idaho Farmers Receive Water from Teton Lake
Recreational activities suspended at drained Jackson Lake.
GRAND TETON N.P., WYO.—Late summer visitors to Grand Teton National Park may have been surprised to gaze across Jackson Lake "expecting to see a pristine, beautiful lake and saw a bathtub ring around a reservoir," said Mike Bues, water operations manager for the Bureau of Reclamation. But the practice of taking water from this national park's lake to irrigate farms in Idaho is not new—or even illegal.
This year's draw from the lake, somewhat higher than normal because of recent drought conditions, caused Colter Bay Marina to close early and will most likely hinder winter activities on the lake, said Joan Anzelmo, park spokeswoman. The lake was at its lowest legal limit, Bues said.
The National Park Service is also monitoring the effects on wildlife of lowering the lake, Anzelmo said, and is concerned that some cultural artifacts from the ranching and American Indian periods may be uncovered. The agency will not discuss where or what might be unearthed for fear of pilfering.
The situation at Jackson Lake arises from pre-existing water rights. The Bureau of Reclamation built Jackson Lake Dam in the early 1900s to channel water to local farms from the Snake River and increase the size of the natural Jackson Lake, which was smaller.
The park was not established until 1929 and maintaining those rights was integral to the creation of the park.
"This is a different kind of park, with existing uses already in place. We manage with those in mind," Anzelmo said.
Grand Teton is just one of many parks with similar existing rights. The Park Service manages 483 dams, berms, and other impoundments within the system and monitors 260 others that affect park waters.
