The Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer is an unconfined aquifer that underlies a major agricultural region and provides baseflow to the mainstem of the Henry’s Fork Snake River (USA). These groundwater return flows are important for buffering periods of low streamflow and maintaining suitable aquatic habitat. However, aquifer storage has diminished through time, potentially exacerbating low summer streamflows and further stressing aquatic ecosystems. Aquifer recharge may be a tool to bolster aquifer storage and subsequent groundwater return flow. In this study, we explore 1) the history and motivations of local changes in agricultural irrigation practices with satellite imagery and irrigator interviews, 2) the impact of irrigation conversion on streamflow with hydrologic time-series analysis, and 3) if aquifer recharge can buffer low summer streamflows by combining a region-specific aquifer model with a climate- and water-rights informed time-series simulation. Traditional but inefficient irrigation practices, like flood irrigation, can benefit streamflow and aquifer recharge. Locally, conversion of agricultural land to residential development may constrain aquifer recharge opportunities. At the broader scale, climate change and senior water rights are likely to limit water available for managed recharge.