Geothermal Moratorium Areas

There are three geothermal moratorium areas in the State: Boise Front, Twin Falls and Banbury Hot Springs. IDWR issued a five-year moratorium for the Boise Front Low Temperature Geothermal Resource Ground Water Management Area on June 10, 1988. The moratorium prohibits "further development or additional use pursuant to undeveloped or partially developed permits" until the permit holders provides information to the Department that addresses three issues: aquifer depletion, pumping lift, and temperature declines. The Boise Front moratorium was extended an additional five years in 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2014, with the next review scheduled for 2019. The Idaho Department of Water Resources issued a five-year moratorium on geothermal development on July 24, 1987 for a portion of the Twin Falls Ground Water Management Area. The moratorium ceased further diversions "under all existing permits", caused all applications for thermal water to be "held without action" unless the application was included in an agreement dated July 22, 1987, and made provisions for the Department to respond if development outside the moratorium area affects the users within it. The Twin Falls moratorium was extended an additional five years in 1992, 1997, and 2002, with the next review scheduled for 2007.