01/13/05 A farmer`s view of water agreement

Water is often referred to as liquid gold and in drought stricken Idaho you can certain see why. Idaho legend and billionaire JR Simplot knew about water from the get go. SIMPLOT "I've been here damn near a hundred and I know where we came from. Water is the whole key to the whole damn thing," Like his neighbors Shelley potato grower Brian Searle wonders each spring what the high elevation snows melt will do to the reservoirs. SEARLE "Really bothered last spring in May when we flushed a bunch of water down the river and all of our snowpack that was supposed to be so good all of a sudden went in the ground and we didn't get our reservoirs filled." Searle has 800 thousand dollars invested in equipment that will apply water to his two thousand acres of irrigated land. He's opposed to the Nez Perce agreement, which requires additional water for fish flushing. SEARLE "My biggest concern would be a precedent that would be set and the door that could open to other agreements that would be proposed." The agreement needs to be approved by the Nez Perce tribe and the legislature. The Idaho Farm Bureau opposes the agreement. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott