[Vision2020] Water: What is missing - Political actiion
Mark Solomon
msolomon at moscow.com
Wed Apr 26 10:13:30 PDT 2006
Chris,
Reaching carrying capacity is scary stuff.
m.
At 9:09 AM -0800 4/26/06, Chris Storhok wrote:
>Mark,
> What I find interesting is that yesterday seven
>bills were introduced in Congress that address
>the same water concerns that Moscow has. Our
>nation's over consumptive ways have caught up
>with us.
>
>Chris
>
>
>From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
>[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf
>Of Mark Solomon
>Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 8:26 AM
>To: James Reynolds; Art Deco; Vision 2020
>Subject: RE: Re: [Vision2020] Water: What is missing
>
>National average water use for a family of 4 is
>@ 78 gallons per person per day. Same with
>customary but not extraordinary conservation
>measures taken is 54 gallons per person per day.
>I remember the numbers but not the cite right
>now.
>
>Wayne hit it on the head: it takes political
>leadership to address the issue. Aaron Ament, as
>the Council's representative to PBAC, has taken
>a very active interest in the issue. I look
>forward to his leadership at the City level on
>this issue.
>
>Mark
>
>At 9:16 AM -0700 4/26/06, James Reynolds wrote:
>
>>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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