[Vision2020] Water: Are we the cause?

Wed Apr 26 20:20:18 PDT 2006

Matt,

It's just darn hard to see what's happening 1000' 
down in the earth.  Moscow sits on top of some 
pretty unique rocks and to complicate matters, 
we're at the interface between two distinctly 
different geologies: the Columbia flood basalts 
and the granite of the Idaho Batholith. Edges are 
very complex places, especially when we're 
talking about cooling lava flows hundreds of feet 
thick that cover thousands of square miles that 
we're on the very edge of.

The result is a high degree of uncertainty as to 
when the well is going to run dry, at least the 
deep wells. The shallow wells have got 15-20 
years as I've indicated before which is just 
about enough time to design and build a reservoir 
system to replace the 30% of our water that comes 
from that aquifer. The problem of course is $$ 
and until we set a water budget it's hard to 
calculate any cost comparisons, say between the 
cost of conservation and the cost of a reservoir 
system or other new water source. The other 
problem is fiscal budgeting: conservation tends 
to come in small increments; capital works 
projects are in big lumps.

Mark

At 8:03 PM -0700 4/26/06, Matt Decker wrote:
>Mark,
>
>Thanks for your well thought out and insightful 
>argument. One thing that gets me is no one knows 
>when our water will run out. Should this be 
>cause for concern? Your damn right. Should we 
>stop all growth, no. Mark where is your stance 
>on growth? Should we alter it? Stop it? What 
>should we do?
>
>Lets move our motivations towards an alternate 
>source, such as a resevoir or grey water, before 
>we start running out all of the fellas who 
>depend on growth for their survival.
>
>My 2 cents
>
>MD
>
>>From: Mark Solomon <msolomon at moscow.com>
>>To: Donovan Arnold 
>><donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>,        Nils 
>>Peterson <nils_peterson at wsu.edu>, 
>>vision2020 at moscow.com
>>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Water: Are we the cause?
>>Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 06:41:33 -0700
>>
>>If I hadn't heard otherwise intelligent people 
>>asking this question in other venues, I would 
>>have just written this question off as another 
>>instance of pointless blather, but I have. Two 
>>points to answer because there are two separate 
>>aquifer systems Moscow relies on: the upper 
>>Wanapum basalts and the lower Grande Ronde 
>>basalts.
>>
>>Wanapum: Used to be Moscow, sole source of 
>>water until 1960. Well levels dropped from 1930 
>>(beginning of record keeping) until pumping 
>>ceased in 1960 with well levels in essential 
>>free fall as the aquifer was drained. It took 
>>30 years to recover, but by 1990 it was 
>>recharged. Score one for human caused decline. 
>>(Pumping resumed in 1990 and well levels are 
>>again falling, following roughly the same curve 
>>as the previous pumping period which indicates 
>>a dry spell coming for Wanapum wells in about 
>>15-20 years. The Wanapum currently provides @ 
>>30% of Moscow water.)
>>
>>Grande Ronde: We'll have to prove this one in 
>>the negative as the GR has been dropping 1-2' 
>>per year ever since we started pumping it and 
>>there has never been a period in which it 
>>wasn't pumped. Static water levels currently 
>>are about 700' below ground level. If the 1-2' 
>>drop per year were not human induced, then by 
>>the we didn't do it argument, the water level 
>>somewhere between 350-700 years ago the water 
>>would have been at the ground level and we 
>>could be sipping water with a straw from the 
>>ground or watching springs bubble up and flow 
>>off down the rivers. As there is absolutely no 
>>indication in the geologic or indigenous oral 
>>history of this unlikely phenomenon, it 
>>probably did not occur. Call it thousands of 
>>years and the same argument holds. Score 
>>another one for human caused decline.
>>
>>And let's move on to real issues like "what you 
>>gonna do when the well runs dry?"
>>
>>Mark S.
>>
>>At 11:20 PM -0700 4/25/06, Donovan Arnold wrote:
>>>Nils,
>>>
>>>How do we even know that we (humans in Moscow) 
>>>are the cause of the decline in the aquifer? 
>>>Just because my bathtub water is going down 
>>>does not mean I am consuming it. Just a 
>>>thought.
>>>
>>>_DJA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Nils Peterson <nils_peterson at wsu.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>>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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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Yahoo! Mail goes everywhere you do. 
>>><http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=31132/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/services?promote=mail>Get 
>>>it on your phone.
>
>
>>_____________________________________________________
>>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>                http://www.fsr.net
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>
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