David R. Tuthill, Jr. - Director

Appointed by Governor C.L. 'Butch' Otter as the Director, Dave Tuthill began his term on January 1, 2007. Dave has worked for IDWR since 1976.

Education

B.S. in Agri. Engineering, Colorado State University - 1974
M.S. in Civil Engineering, University of Colorado - 1975
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, University of Idaho (Boise) - 2002

Professional Registration and Affiliation

Military Service

30 years of Commissioned Service: Active Reserve
Retired as a Colonel, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Reserve, on July 1, 2004

Career Summary

Adjudication Section Supervisor: Duties included, but were not limited to, review of applications for water permits, analysis of proposed transfers of water with beneficial use calculations, analysis of decreed rights as to location and amount, supervision of six people in the drafting and report writing sections, supervision of water distribution statewide, responding to watermaster/water district problems of water delivery, and supervision and monitoring of three ongoing water adjudications.

Payette Adjudication Supervisor: Duties included, but were not limited to, responsibility for the Payette River Basin adjudication, which was a ten-year water rights adjudication involving some 10,000 water rights covering an area of 3,200 square miles; supervision of three professionals, a secretary and two data entry staff; analysis of methods of computation of water rights to include commingling of rights, ditch losses and exchanges; preparation of water rights reports; arrangement for public meetings; use of radio, newspapers, posters and television to provide public information about the adjudication; and responsibility for the preparation of recommendations of state and federal water rights, including federal reserved water rights.

Manager of the IDWR’s Western Regional Office: Duties included, but were not limited to, oversight of all aspects of Western Regional Office activities, including personnel and salary; oversight of water right application processing and beneficial use examinations; general oversight of the Western Regional Office’s adjudication unit; oversight of dam safety and stream channel alteration programs; implementation of IDWR policy and procedure; implementation and maintenance of IDWR databases and files used at the Western Regional Office; coordination of the various section activities in the Western Regional Office; oversight of water distribution and administration throughout the Western Region; serving as Chairman of the GIS Utilization Task Force; supervision of the creation of the Southeast Boise Ground Water Management Area (SEBGWMA); and formation, operation and technical liaison with the SEBGWMA Advisory Committee.

Adjudication Bureau Chief: Duties included, but were not limited to, implementation and oversight of the IDWR’s statutory duties in the water right adjudication process, supervision of a staff of 44 technical and legal personnel located in six offices throughout the state, and responsibility for all IDWR activities regarding water right adjudications, including the Snake River Basin Adjudication containing more than 170,000 claims.

Administrator, Water Management Division: Responsible for activities of the Water Management Division, consisting of 105 employees and the following programs: water rights, water distribution, water allocation, water right adjudication, well construction, well driller licensing, underground injection, safety of dams, stream channel alterations, floodplain management and regional offices.