Waterfall in Thousand Springs State Park, Hagerman Valley, Idaho

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Earth's most precious resource?. World Water Day

You can almost hear the crash and feel the spray of this pristine cluster of waterfalls in southern Idaho. Could there be a better place to celebrate World Water Day? Since 1993, the U.N. has dedicated March 22 to advocate for sustainable management of freshwater resources and bring attention to topics relevant to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. Each year has emphasized a different aspect of this critical resource, with themes like ‘Valuing Water,’ ‘Water and Climate Change,’ ‘Water and Jobs,’ and ‘Why Waste Water?’ This year’s theme is ‘Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible.’

Groundwater surfaces in spectacular fashion here at Thousand Springs State Park, located in a beautiful corner of Idaho–the aptly named Magic Valley. The springs here are fed by the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, one of the largest aquifers in the United States, about the size of Lake Erie. The groundwater in the aquifer travels from its source just half-a-metre to three metres per day and can take 150 to 250 years to flow into Thousand Springs and the Snake River.