Idaho is a state that defied logic with its vast irrigation system. Our irrigation system is a model for the world for creating rich farmland out of a desert. That system has now reached its limit with the drought that we're experiencing this Summer. Or is it because we've overdeveloped an area with finite water resources? Or let's blame the snowpack. Could our state one day resemble the deserts around Phoenix, Arizona, where the lawns are of rock and not grass?

The water shortage has begun in Boise, where residents must now find water because their wells have run dry. The wells worked fine when the area was surrounded by farmland. Now residents are buying their drinking water at the store and taking their kids to relatives for showers, reports KTVB.  Yes, development is a good thing, except if you're the poor sap that digs another well through no fault of your own.  

As we reported here, Caldwell is cutting back its supply of irrigation water. The City says it will fine folks who use their indoor water to keep their grass green. Yep, that's how bad it is here. Have we heard from any of our elected leaders? The same leaders that tout growth. They tell us how wonderful the development is in our Treasure Valley. Did any of these brain surgeons comprehend our limited water supply? Is it too much to question the sanity of replacing farmland with rows and rows of homes with lawns that need daily watering?  

We're all losers without a stable water supply. The bigger losers are Idaho Farmers that could lose everything because we've run out of water to feed their crops. When the farmers lose, we all lose through higher food costs. How long will it take for other Treasure Valley cities to follow Caldwell's directive? It's time for Idaho's elected leaders to step up and save our water supply. Unregulated development must be stopped now; otherwise, it's time to start buying lots of rocks for our new lawns. 

You can read more details on the drought and its impact on Idaho here courtesy of the Idaho Statesman.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

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READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

 

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