[Vision2020] A few facts about Palouse water

Sat, 19 Jul 2003 13:31:13 -0700

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D-
I don't quite get it.  If you are looking for someone to tell you it's
just fine to waste water 'cause you assume we must have plenty of
it--you are not getting that from me.
In response to your specific question, I think the best answer is:
nobody really knows for sure.
Just because all the geological specifics are not known is not license
to continue to waste water.
As I understand it, the city of Moscow and UI a few decades ago started
sucking water from the deep aquifer since the shallower aquifer was
going down and was not as pure (lots of iron, etc).  So, since the wells
are sucking the deep aquifer now, the shallow aquifer is able to refill.

And since the water mining impact has shifted to the lower aquifer, it
is dropping fast.
Whether the water comes from the upper or lower aquifer (or if there are
a myriad of aquifers down there), there is no justification for
continued water mining.
BL

Dale Courtney wrote:

>  Bill,That doesn't cut it for an answer. The issue is not how much
> water is or should be going to water golf courses. The question is --
> is the total amount of water of the two aquifers falling? Or is it
> just the deep aquifer that is lowering? Please answer that one
> question.  Best,
> Dale
>
>      -----Original Message-----
>      From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com
>      [mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com] On Behalf Of Bill
>      London
>      Sent: Friday, 18 July, 2003 16:22
>      To: David Camden-Britton
>      Cc: vision2020@moscow.com
>      Subject: Re: [Vision2020] A few facts about Palouse water
>
>      Please do not be so quick to assume that Elsa Peters is
>      injecting fact into this discussion of aquifers (in her
>      letter reprinted below).
>      Elsa Peters reflects her own biases more than facts in her
>      letter about the aquifer.
>      She asserts that more water is pumped from the aquifer for
>      golf courses than is used in the ever-expanding number of
>      homes (each with toilets, lawns, sinks, etc).  The UI golf
>      course uses recycled effluent water--not water pumped from
>      the aquifer.  The Elks golf course has its own well that
>      pumps from the recharging upper aquifer.  The homes in
>      Moscow rely on water pumped from the deep wells that are, in
>      fact, dropping more than a foot in depth annually.
>      Concern for this diminishing aquifer source is not an
>      irrational fear, it's just common sense.
>      BL
>
>      David Camden-Britton wrote:
>
>     > Great... Nice.  Take a fine emotional issue that we can
>     > rant and rave about and inject facts into it!  Fie upon
>     > this so-called "Geologist"!  What is that anyway?
>     > Something like a geomancer?  She's a wizard!  Yes!
>     >
>     > PS: Thanks for the post, Dale.
>     >
>     > At 06:45 PM 7/17/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>     >
>     > > 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 "our aquifer."
>     > >
>     > > 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 "will run out" 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 "new housing
>     > > developments," 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
>     >
>     > David Camden-Britton -=)*(=-  davidcb@acm.org
>     > _____________________________________________________ List
>     > services made available by First Step Internet, serving
>     > the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>     > http://www.fsr.net mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com
>     > ЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇЇ
>

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D-
 I don't quite get it.&nbsp; If you are looking for someone to tell
you it's just fine to waste water 'cause you assume we must have plenty
of it--you are not getting that from me.
 In response to your specific question, I think the best answer is:
nobody really knows for sure.
 Just because all the geological specifics are not known is not license
to continue to waste water.
 As I understand it, the city of Moscow and UI a few decades ago started
sucking water from the deep aquifer since the shallower aquifer was going
down and was not as pure (lots of iron, etc).&nbsp; So, since the wells
are sucking the deep aquifer now, the shallow aquifer is able to refill.
 And since the water mining impact has shifted to the lower aquifer,
it is dropping fast.
 Whether the water comes from the upper or lower aquifer (or if there
are a myriad of aquifers down there), there is no justification for continued
water mining.
 BL
 &nbsp;
 &nbsp;
 &nbsp;
Dale Courtney wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>&nbsp;Bill,That
doesn't cut it for an answer. The issue is not how much water is or should
be going to water golf courses.&nbsp;The
question is -- is the total amount of water of the two aquifers
falling? Or is it just the deep aquifer that is lowering?&nbsp;Please
answer that one question.&nbsp;&nbsp;Best,
 Dale
<blockquote dir=ltr 
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #800000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<div class="OutlookMessageHeader" lang="en-us" dir="ltr">-----Original
Message-----
 From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com
[<A HREF="mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com">mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com</A>] On Behalf Of Bill London
 Sent: Friday, 18 July, 2003
16:22
 To: David Camden-Britton
 Cc: vision2020@moscow.com
 Subject: Re: [Vision2020]
A few facts about Palouse water
 &nbsp;</div>
Please do not be so quick to assume that Elsa Peters is injecting fact
into this discussion of aquifers (in her letter reprinted below).
 Elsa Peters reflects her own biases more than facts in her letter about
the aquifer.
 She asserts that more water is pumped from the aquifer for golf courses
than is used in the ever-expanding number of homes (each with toilets,
lawns, sinks, etc).&nbsp; The UI golf course uses recycled effluent water--not
water pumped from the aquifer.&nbsp; The Elks golf course has its own well
that pumps from the recharging upper aquifer.&nbsp; The homes in Moscow
rely on water pumped from the deep wells that are, in fact, dropping more
than a foot in depth annually.
 Concern for this diminishing aquifer source is not an irrational fear,
it's just common sense.
 BL
David Camden-Britton wrote:
<blockquote TYPE="CITE">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 "Geologist"!&nbsp; What is that anyway?&nbsp; Something
like a geomancer?&nbsp; She's a wizard!&nbsp; Yes!
PS: Thanks for the post, Dale.
At 06:45 PM 7/17/2003 -0700, you wrote:
<blockquote class=cite cite="" type="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 "our aquifer."
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 "will run out" 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 "new housing developments,"
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 _____________________________________________________
List services made available by First Step Internet, serving the communities
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