BONNERS FERRY — By mid-morning, several dozen Boundary County residents had already made their way through Idaho Department of Water Resources water adjudication workshops.

Among them was Denise Adams, who said she took part in the claims-taking and information workshops after running into a few questions as she filled out the form.

"We had some questions on the application," Adams said. "We had it filled out most of the way but there were some questions that we weren't certain on and we didn't want it rejected."

The family wanted to make sure everything on their water rights application was filled out correctly, so they headed down to the workshops being held at the Boundary County Fairgrounds.

Adams said they weren't aware they needed to codify their water rights until they received the IDWR letter advising them that the department's staff would be hosting three daylong workshops in the community to help residents in the Kootenai River Basin with the adjudication process.

The couple, who live on a one-acre site with a well, said they wanted to make sure they could keep the property in good shape and maintain a strong supply of water. Until they received the letter from department officials, they weren't aware of the need to file the claim.

"We wanted to make sure our rights were protected," Adams said.

In total, about 5,500 commencement notices were mailed to property owners in the basin, soliciting water right claims and helping them determine if they need to file for water rights and how to do so.

"We're just here to facilitate the process," said Evan Roda, IDWR water resources supervisor in the Coeur d'Alene office. "We want to help folks through the adjudication claim process, assisting them with filing their adjudication claims to get their water rights recorded."

The adjudication process creates a "snapshot" of the state's lawfully established water rights so that, in the event of a problem down the road, the state has a clear picture of who has what rights.

"So in Idaho, we're a prior appropriation state, which means first in time is first in right," Roda said. "The users with the earliest priority have first right to that water if there's ever not enough to go around."

While IDWR brought someone to help residents file new claims, Roda said most of the Boundary County residents filing a claim at the workshops have a pre-existing water right and simply needed help filing the appropriate adjudication paperwork.

Most of them are considered small domestic water users who are using less than 13,000 gallons of water a day and less than a half-acre of irrigation around the home. While such property owners have several years to file to secure their rights, Roda said the workshops help residents get a jump on the process as well as helping those with more complicated water rights, such as irrigation or commercial users with set deadlines, with any questions they might have.

Owners of small domestic and/or stock water rights can file a claim now or wait until later in the adjudication process. However, IDWR recommends filing a claim now to avoid delay and lock in protections. A one-time $25 claim-filing fee applies to domestic and stock water rights.

The goal, Roda said, is to help residents secure and protect their rights.

"This is about protecting the water sources," he said. "The biggest thing that we try and drive home is that this isn't about us trying to police what they're doing or scrutinize their water uses. This is their opportunity to record those and get them protected."

By documenting their rights, Roda said, if residents run into problems down the road, the department and courts will have the ability to assist in sorting things out.

"It's no mystery to most folks up here that there's a lot of new folks moving to the area and that just means there's a lot of new straws in the same glass of water," he added. "We want to preserve and protect the users that are already here before we go doling out new water rights that could potentially harm those other users."

The biggest misconception people have with the adjudication process is that the effort is an attempt by the government to take people's water, instead of protecting their rights and access to that water, Roda said.

"That couldn't be further from the truth," he said. "This is an opportunity for them to preserve and protect the water source that they have. And, at the end of this rainbow, once these claims get adjudicated, they receive a decree from a court that memorializes the water right on their properties appurtenant forever."

Roda compared the process to balancing the state's water checkbook. By documenting existing rights, the state can then determine what remains in the bank to apportion to new property owners down the road. Once water right claims have been filed, IDWR officials will review the claims and make recommendations to the court. A district court judge will review those recommendations and issue a final decree confirming the elements of all water rights in the Kootenai River Basin, including surface water and groundwater sources.

A notice of claim may be filed using forms provided by IDWR or online at idwr.idaho.gov. Water users should bring a description of the property that includes township, range, section and quarter-quarter information or a county parcel number.

Water users who receive all of their water from a city, irrigation district, water utility district or company are not required to file a claim. A water delivery organization that holds legal title to water rights typically files claims for water used by its customers or patrons.

Idaho Department of Water Resources staff will be on hand from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday to assist area residents with filing water rights claims and to answer any questions.

For more information, contact the IDWR Northern Region office at 208-762-2800.