Lifetime Achievement Award – Louis Thiel

Eastern Idaho Water Rights Coalition Members:

At the Idaho Water Users Convention in Boise last week, Louis Thiel received a very deserved lifetime achievement award. I believe Louis and the New Sweden Irrigation District have been members of the Coalition since its inception. Congratulations Louis!

Keith

Louis Thiel

Our final Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is Lous Thiel. Louis is a long-time friend of the Idaho water community. Louis has been farming in Idaho his entire life. In the early days, he farmed alongside his father, Harry on the family farm. In the 1950’s, he started renting his own ground and his career in farming took off.

Louis was first elected to the New Sweden Irrigation District Board in 1982 – a position he maintains to this day (that’s over 40 years!!). During his tenure, New Sweden has seen significant changes. Recently, the 100 year old headgates were replaced on both the Great Western and Porter Canals. New Sweden has been at the forefront of recharge efforts in the valley. Now, they are in the process of licensing a hydro plant to provide additional revenue to the district.

Louis is a champion for Idaho water. He served on the IWUA Board for 17 years. He also served on the legislative committee, helping to craft important legislation that continues to benefit the water user community. In 2005, Louis was inducted into the IWUA Hall of Fame.

Help me congratulate Louis for a lifetime of dedicated service to Idaho’s water community.

(photo courtesy of IWUA)