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The Idaho Water Users Association wants the state to endorse and help carry out water-quality trading.
IWUA Executive Director and General Counsel Paul Arrington said the group plans to propose a bill and a joint resolution. The 2021 Idaho Legislature is scheduled to start Jan. 11.
The bill would authorize the state Department of Environmental Quality to establish and operate voluntary water-quality trading programs. The resolution would be a non-binding statement that the Legislature supports water-quality trading as a concept.
Water-quality trading establishes a tangible value as a means of exchange. It aims to encourage upstream improvements that reduce the need for more expensive treatment downstream. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency supports it on a watershed scale.