Water (Reclamation & Recreation)
The availability of water was crucial to the settlement of Nampa. In the 1880s the area was an arid, sagebrush-covered landscape with meandering streams that flowed seasonally. With the discovery of underground aquifers, it was determined there was an abundance of water to start developing a community.
Several projects during the early decades brought canals and reservoirs that enhanced irrigation, including Lake Ethel (1891) and later Lake Lowell (briefly called "Goverment Reservoir," then Deer Flat Reservoir 1909-1945.)
In 2016, the Nampa Public Library hosted the Smithsonian's traveling "Waterways" exibhition, for which a local companion exhibit was created, named "High Desert Oasis." A timeline of Nampa and Canyon County's water development is included.
Click on images to view photos and learn further details.