Irrigation, aquaculture among top users of Idaho water

BOISE, Idaho — An Associated Press review shows the highest consumers of Idaho’s drinking water aren’t the people taking long showers, using their dishwasher or even those turning on their hoses for a green lawn.

Instead, on a daily average, the state’s precious resource is being used for irrigation and aquaculture.

According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho’s top counties consuming the most drinking water are in southern Idaho, away from the state’s more populated regions and in the heart of the state’s desert climate.

Twin Falls County withdraws the most drinking, taking an estimated 962 million gallons a day for irrigation and 470 million gallons a day for aquaculture uses. In total, the county uses 1,461 million gallons of water.