REXBURG— State Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls, says there is growing momentum to rebuild the Teton Dam as water resources become increasingly scarce in Idaho. He helped sponsor the Senate Joint Memorial 101 in 2025 which addresses this issue.
To address water concerns, Idaho has tried negotiating about how the state allocates its water. Water rights holders worked out a water mitigation plan in 2024 with the Idaho Department of Water Resources to protect rights and make sure water is available for those who need it. But the agreement doesn’t account for every drop of water.
“We were still sending down 1.5-to-2-million-acre feet of water down the river out into the ocean during the spring runoff because our reservoirs were full,” Sen. Cook said.
Some considerations to save more water have include making existing dams taller at Jackson Lake, Lake Walcott, American Falls Reservoir and Island Park Reservoir.
Sen. Cook said some in the community worry that building more reservoirs does not eliminate the risk of evaporation. However, if a dam is built with deep canyon walls like the Teton Dam, then it has less surface area for the water to evaporate off.
“The Teton Dam is in a good position for us to be able to save water and use it later in the year,” Sen. Cook said.
Sen. Cook said the Teton Dam could hold back 288,000-acre feet of water. This would be a huge resource for Idaho in the fall.
The fear of rebuilding Teton Dam is rooted in the historical disaster on June 5, 1976. Only 50 years ago the damage impacted the community deeply. It is unsurprising many would share hesitation in rebuilding.
While this fear is real, Sen. Cook points out the Bureaureport, which states it was possible to build a safe dam then and now.
“We knew how to build a safe dam with porous canyon walls, but we didn't use all of our technology that was available at that time,” Sen. Cook said.
The Teton Dam disaster impacted the way dams are built today. Most dams can trace the safety of their structures to the studies completed over the years on the Teton Dam. The impact of this error has led to greater caution and better constructed dams.
Sen. Cook acknowledges the concern in the community, including the tragedy for those who lost their loved ones and experienced the flooding first-hand.
“We need to make sure it is totally transparent, the whole thing from start to finish,” Sen. Cook said.
In an effort to promote the building of the Teton Dam in November 2025, Sen. Cook along with others spoke to Idaho’s federal delegation about the federal financial support for building a dam or reservoir.
The process of any project these huge takes years to complete from the ideation to the finished dam. Sen. Cook hopes by educating the public on the benefits and safety measures of dam building today, the community will get on board with the project.
Once people support the project and it is approved, a series of studies must be performed. This includes several water studies that can take years to complete. Then the engineering process begins. Sen. Cook said the whole process can take 20 to 30 years to complete.
“We just need to see what our options are and get the ball moving,” Sen. Cook said.