Water and Lava

Water and Lava. . As the pioneers passed through this parched landscape they were happy to find any available water. Most water is soaked up like a giant sponge when it reaches the lava fields, but here, small creeks to the north cover the porous lava rock with a blanket of sediments that impound Lava Lake. , Beneath the surface of the lava rock, the thick walls of caves may provide adequate insulation to retain winter’s ice. Rare waterholes sometimes form on the surface over these plugs of ice. , Most of the water that flows from the mountains or falls on the plains is soaked up by the lava rock, creating a Lake Erie-sized aquifer deep beneath the surface. The water of the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer allows those “famous potatoes” to thrive and provides drinking water for many communities in southern Idaho.