[Vision2020] A few facts about Palouse water

Fri, 18 Jul 2003 13:49:28 -0700

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Great... Nice.&nbsp; Take a fine emotional issue that we can rant and
rave about and inject facts into it!&nbsp; Fie upon this so-called
&quot;Geologist&quot;!&nbsp; What is that anyway?&nbsp; Something like a
geomancer?&nbsp; She's a wizard!&nbsp; Yes!&nbsp; 
PS: Thanks for the post, Dale. 
At 06:45 PM 7/17/2003 -0700, you wrote: 
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>A few
facts about Palouse water 
It's a nice change of pace to see Wayne Olson's
letter to the editor (Opinion, July 9) asking for facts, not rhetoric,
about &quot;our aquifer.&quot; 
First fact: There are at least two aquifers below
Pullman and Moscow. There may be more, but two are known to all drillers
and geologists in the area. 
Second fact: The water level of the upper (more
shallow) aquifer is not dropping at all. Indeed, water levels in the
upper aquifer have done nothing but rise in my lifetime (I'm 43).
 
Third fact: The water levels near Moscow-Pullman
city wells in the lower aquifer are dropping. That statement, however,
does not imply that the water levels farther away are dropping (it's a
huge aquifer) nor does it imply that we &quot;will run out&quot; of water
in the lower aquifer. Ask another geologist if you don't care to believe
me on these points. 
Fourth fact: Most water used in both Moscow and
Pullman during the summer is not consumed by &quot;new housing
developments,&quot; a favorite target of members of the Moscow Civic
Association (most of whom, of course, were new arrivals on the Palouse
themselves some years back). Most water used in the summer goes to
watering golf courses, not to flushing the toilets of new city residents.
 
More facts and less fear could greatly help move
our public discussion of water use forward. Thanks, Wayne, for asking.
 
Elsa Kirsten Peters 
Pullman </blockquote>
<x-sigsep></x-sigsep>
David Camden-Britton -=)*(=-&nbsp;
davidcb@acm.org </body>
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