Kootenai River Basin Adjudication

The purpose of a Water Right Adjudication is to catalog and confirm through the court all existing Water Rights in a hydrologic basin, and to which property those Water Rights belong, binding all property owners and parties to the court decree of those Water Rights. Idaho Code § 42-1406D, effective July 1, 2024, authorized the Idaho Department of Water Resources to petition the district court to commence an adjudication of the water rights from surface water and ground water sources in the Kootenai River basin. The statute concludes that “ Effective management of the waters of the Kootenai River basin requires that a comprehensive determination of the nature, extent, and priority of the rights of all users of surface and ground water be determined.“ On November 13, 2024, the Idaho Supreme Court issued a Provisional Order appointing the Presiding Judge of the Idaho Water Adjudications in the Fifth Judicial District of the State of Idaho as the Presiding Judge over Kootenai River Basin Adjudication (KRBA). The Presiding Judge of the Idaho Water Adjudications is currently Judge Eric Wildman. A Petition to Commence the KRBA was filed on January 3, 2025. On January 9, 2025, the Idaho Water Adjudications issued an order setting a hearing on the commencement order for April 15, 2025. On March 6, 2026, the Idaho Water Adjudications court issued a Commencement Order for the Kootenai River Basin Adjudication. For more information, visit the IDWR Adjudication page.水权裁决（Water Right Adjudication）的核心目标为通过司法程序，梳理并确认某一水文流域（hydrologic basin）内所有现存水权，明确各水权的归属主体，且该等水权的法院判决对所有产权所有者及相关方均具有约束力。2024年7月1日生效的《爱达荷州法典》（Idaho Code）第42-1406D条授权爱达荷州水资源部（Idaho Department of Water Resources, IDWR）向地区法院提起申请，启动针对库特内河流域（Kootenai River basin）内地表水（surface water）与地下水（ground water）水源的水权裁决程序。该法条明确规定：“对库特内河流域水资源的有效管理，需全面确定所有地表水及地下水使用者的水权性质、范围与优先级。”2024年11月13日，爱达荷州最高法院（Idaho Supreme Court）发布临时命令（Provisional Order），任命爱达荷州第五司法区（Fifth Judicial District）爱达荷州水权裁决事务（Idaho Water Adjudications）主审法官（Presiding Judge）担任库特内河流域水权裁决（Kootenai River Basin Adjudication, KRBA）的主审法官。现任爱达荷州水权裁决事务（Idaho Water Adjudications）主审法官（Presiding Judge）为埃里克·怀尔德曼（Eric Wildman）法官。2025年1月3日，库特内河流域水权裁决启动申请（Petition to Commence the KRBA）正式提交。2025年1月9日，爱达荷州水权裁决事务（Idaho Water Adjudications）发布命令，将启动令（Commencement Order）听证会定于2025年4月15日举行。2026年3月6日，爱达荷州水权裁决法院（Idaho Water Adjudications Court）发布库特内河流域水权裁决启动令（Commencement Order）。如需获取更多相关信息，请访问爱达荷州水资源部（IDWR）水权裁决专题页面。