[Vision2020] Water: What is missing

[Art Deco]

Thank you Nils for the comment which is really at the heart of the matter:

"If the assertion in #1 [A large enough segment of the Moscow electorate 
willing to be educated on this issue.  There are many people who believe 
that the water issue is not that important at this time.] is true, many 
people don't believe its an issue, then I doubt the rest of the items can 
follow."

Mark Solomon and Bill and Diane French of the Palouse Water Conservation 
Network (PWCN) have devoted substantial amounts of time and effort 
attempting to educate us about the aquifer and water 
usage/replenishment/conservation.

[For example, a recent post by Mark Solomon (reposted below) about the 
amount of water usage need to support the proposed Super WalMart should be a 
real eye opener.]

Although PBAC (Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee) continues important work on 
the subject, they and their former leader Larry Kirkland, lost a lot of 
credibility and in my opinion did a great deal of damage to the water 
conservation effort by Kirkland's endorsement of the Naylor Farms proposal 
and by their tepid response to the WSU golf course proposal [and now a plan 
becoming reality.]

Besides the efforts of Solomon and the Frenches, we need political leaders 
who not only talk the game by give cheer-leader type speeches on the 
subject, but ones who will dig in to come up with, finance, and lead a 
multi-prong program carefully designed to educate the electorate and to 
motivate them enough to be willing to conserve.  This is not a small task as 
you can see by the responses on this forum.

Mark's water budget concept is an excellent proposal.  It needs courageous, 
relentless political support.  That support will be hard to come by without 
a majority of the electorate willing to make some major changes/sacrifices 
both little and big in their water consumption habits.  That's why a lot of 
education, much of it repetitive but tantalizingly packaged in a number of 
different, effective ways, needs to be done and done well.


Wayne A. Fox
1009 Karen Lane
PO Box 9421
Moscow, ID  83843

(208) 882-7975
waf at moscow.com


__________________________________________________________________________________
To add another piece to the water thread, there is the issue of how we 
support growth and development in Moscow when we are at or beyond the 
ability of our aquifers to supply water to the city.


Fact: the deep Grande Ronde aquifer has no identified recharge mechanism and 
continues to fall 1-2'/year.


Fact: the upper Wanapum aquifer recharges seasonally (winter runoff) through 
mechanisms not quite identified (the ongoing Latah County Hydrogeological 
Characterization Project is designed to answer that question) but the 
current rate of withdrawal from the Wanapum exceeds the recharge. Historical 
pumping records indicate that  Wanapum well levels may drop precipitously 
within 15 years.


Fact: the City of Moscow is signatory to the regional Palouse Basin Aquifer 
Agreement which requires each pumping entity (Moscow, Pullman, UI, WSU) to 
limit increases in pumping to 1% annually and to not exceed a total cap of 
125% of the total volume pumped as an average of the years 1982-1987 for a 
cap of 875 million gallons/year (MGY). It was hoped that limiting pumping 
increases would allow the aquifer levels to stabilize. They were wrong.


Fact: From 1994 to 2003, Moscow exceeded its 1% annual growth limit and from 
1998-2003 its 875 mgy cap.


Fact: After Moscow area conservation and civic groups filed a petition with 
the State asking for designation of Moscow area aquifers as Critical 
Groundwater Management Areas and Groundwater Management Areas the City 
implemented mandatory landscape irrigation measures that reduced the amount 
of water pumped by the City from 919 MGY in 2003 to 819 MGY in 2005. 
(Bravo!) 2005 was the first year since the city signed the PBAC agreement 
that it was in compliance with the agreement.


Fact: Moscow City wells (with the exception of Wells 6&8 which have had 
their pumping significantly decreased due to internal piping issues) 
continue to have declining water levels despite the conservation efforts of 
people and businesses across the city.


Fact: the SuperWalmart developer, on page 6 of his application for a rezone 
of the Thompson property across from the cemetery, forecasts full build out 
at 1.5 million square foot of commercial space. The applicant predicts water 
useage based on full build out at over 62 MGY.  Full build out would 
increase water pumped by 7.6% above current levels violating the 1% annual 
increase. Full build out will also cause the City to exceed its absolute cap 
of 875 mgy.


Question: Is this how we want to use the water we have conserved? Do we want 
to give all our water to Walmart?


Answer: The City Council is holding a public hearing on Walmart's proposed 
rezone 5/1, 7:00 pm , Council Chambers (unless they move it to someplace 
where all the people who are likely to attend can actually fit in the 
room...)


Mark Solomon




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nils Peterson" <nils_peterson at wsu.edu>
To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 10:13 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] Water: What is missing


> This is a good list, and some clear challenges. If the assertion in #1 is
> true, many people don't believe its an issue, then I doubt the rest of the
> items can follow.
>
> Is it possible that many think a declining aquifer might be a problem, but
> they don't think they can affect a solution, or that a solution might be
> financially costly to them, or that a solution might have negative impacts
> on the city (read, no growth).
>
>
> Art Deco writes:
>> Nils asks:
>>
>> "What is missing to put this into action?"
>>
>> Among other things that may or may not be missing but whose existence is
>> vital:
>>
>> 1.    A large enough segment of the Moscow electorate willing to be 
>> educated
>> on this issue.  There are many people who believe that the water issue is
>> not that important at this time.
>>
>> 2.    Enough informed, willing and able persons to do the one-on-one
>> education that it would probably take; the funds that it would take to
>> prepare the materials for and to execute the education program.
>>
>> 3.    A majority on the Moscow City Council with enough courage and 
>> stamina
>> to lead, to carefully plan, and to enact the program.
>>
>> 4.    A competent enough city manager and staff to successfully implement
>> the program.
>>
>> W.
>
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