MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — A new water source for Mountain Home Air Force Base broke ground, a more than 14 mile water pipeline will connect C.J. Strike Reservoir with the base. The $40 million project has been in the works for over a decade and will ensure a stable supply of water to Mountain Home Air Force Base.
- The water transmission system, including burying the pipeline and building a pump station at C.J. Strike, is expected to be completed by July of 2025.
- The project will deliver up to 3.64 million gallons of water per day to the base.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"It takes away any threat of having to reduce operations here at the airbase, because of a lack of water at some point in the future."
Jeff Raybould, the Chair of the Idaho Water Resource Board
A new water source is on the way to the Mountain Home Air Force Base.
"The aquifer in the area is on somewhat of a decline," says Raybould
Raybould
He tells me the aquifer the base is using now is unreliable.
"Well, the airbase needs a long-term sustainable water supply so that they can continue to operate at their current level and have the opportunity for expansion in the future. The Air Force would have a long-term reliable supply of water, we agreed to work with the air force and bring water through this pipeline to the base and then the base, the Air Force, will build a water treatment plant and make that water available for use on the base."
Raybould
"You can see what Idaho looks like without water."
Lieutenant Governor Scott Bedke
He tells me Mountain Home Air Force Base is a core piece of the Mountain Home community and Idaho's economy.
"Idaho is thriving because our communities are thriving. Mountain Home community is dependent on the Air Force Base in many ways."
Bedke
Bedke tells me projects like this show the state legislature is invested in community success.
"The government of Idaho recognizes the importance of the Air Force Base and it's not just a hollow commitment. They've put money here, so that we can keep this base up, and very viable again for generations into the future. "We're grateful to the Air Force for the commitment to Idaho and the economic activity that it brings to the state it's well over $1 billion and you're not gonna be able to replace that very easily"
Bedke
