[Vision2020] Water: What is missing

Wed Apr 26 09:16:36 PDT 2006

I believe that we should do whatever necessary to increase our water supply. When the Palouse was settled and made into a wheat producing landscape many small ponds, wetlands and such were drained off. These drained areas were perhaps the recharge engines for our upper aquifer. How about reclaiming some (many) of these areas for this? Federal, State, maybe even county technical asistence (maybe some monetary) would be available to start such a program and I expect our ever-growing urban farmer population on their 40 acre tracts would be interested in having a pond etc..

Also I remember hearing about an artesian well on Doc. Lucas's (Bless him) property south of moscow. That site and potentially others might be developed to provide catch/holding basins (his is in bedrock I think) for water that might be sold to the city or on a smaller scale sold to neighbors for irrigation.  

The problem with the emphasis on conservation is that it really does impact the quality of life for many who looked forward to gardening their home lot and making it a masterpiece of tranquility. contrary to some on the list, I see no evil in wanting your grounds to be a preserve in which to sooth ones soul. I also don't think we are doing anything about increasing the water available to keep Moscow the beautiful green place it is. We haven't even begun to work on the problem and already it seems the consensus is to relegate Latah to a desert environment. That is not what Latah county is by any measure, we just have not worked hard enough in making it remain the paradise that it is.

Another thing...is there available a chart/graph that shows how much water a family should use to be considered unhoglike? It would be interesting to know how much water we should expect to use for the things we do.

My toilets work fine and I surely don't want to mess with something that critical when they are good now. 

James  

> From: deco at moscow.com> To: vision2020 at moscow.com> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Water: What is missing> Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:00:50 -0700> > 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.> >> > _____________________________________________________> > List services made available by First Step Internet,> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.> >               http://www.fsr.net> >          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com> > ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯> >> > > > _____________________________________________________>  List services made available by First Step Internet, >  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.   >                http://www.fsr.net                       >           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com> ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
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