How Title Transfer Will Help Minidoka Irrigation District Raise Funds
A check structure on the MID’s Canal B.
D
an Davidson is an Idaho native who has served as the manager of southern Idaho’s Minidoka Irrigation District (MID) for the past 8 years. The MID’s system dates back to the first decade of the 20th century, and as with many irrigation districts, repairing and replacing aging infrastructure is a priority. The MID is currently pursuing a transfer of the title for its system from the Bureau of Reclamation, which would allow it to provide additional services and thus raise money for infrastructure. In this interview, Mr. Davidson tells Irrigation Leader about the current status of the MID’s title transfer efforts and its plans for the future.
engineer, working with floating bridges and boats. Afterward, I worked with my father-in-law on a cattle ranch. My primary job was flood irrigation. Because I spent a lot of time around water growing up, when an opportunity to work at an irrigation district opened up, I took it. Five years later, the opportunity to manage a larger system opened up. I managed Bear River Canal Company, the largest canal company in the state of Utah, for 9 years. The water I used flowed through many of the dams where my grandfather worked. However, my family and I missed Idaho, so in 2012, I took the job of manager of the MID. I have been here for more than 8 years.
Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about the MID.
18 | IRRIGATION LEADER | November/December 2020
Dan Davidson: The MID has over 400 miles of canals, laterals, and drains and more than 77,000 irrigated acres within a 100,000‑acre service area. The project was built in the early 1900s. The primary crops are alfalfa, potatoes, small grains, and sugar beets. We have 26 full-time employees. Irrigation Leader: How did the MID decide to pursue title transfer? irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MID.
Dan Davidson: I guess you can say that the water industry is a family business. I grew up along the Snake River in eastern Idaho. My grandfather spent his life working at dams on the Snake and Bear Rivers. My father was a dam operator on the Snake River for Utah Power. After he retired, he worked as a watermaster on the Blackfoot River. After graduating from high school, I spent 8 years in the military as a combat
