[Vision2020] The (New) Troy Reservoir

[Art Deco]

>From having worked with Cliff Todd with the Friends of Moscow Mountain and 
other related activities, it is my opinion that Cliff is a very competent 
forestry consultant.

W.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sunil Ramalingam" <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com>
To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 1:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] The (New) Troy Reservoir


> Well sure they got it figured, they have Cliff Todd on it.
>
> Sunil
>
>
>>From: Steven Basoa <sbasoa at moscow.com>
>>To: Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>>Subject: [Vision2020] The (New) Troy Reservoir
>>Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2006 12:10:40 -0700
>>
>>Kudos to the Troy founders for their foresight and to the current  Troy
>>officials for their planning.  The following article (from the
>>Moscow-Pullman Daily news) details how the town of Troy may go about
>>dealing with their water issues.   The potential for building a  reservoir
>>for Moscow has been mentioned (on v2020) several times.  I  do not know if
>>the city officials are even considering this idea.   Considering the
>>uncertainty of our aquifers, the time for studying  this option is long
>>past due.  The city wouldn't even have to hire  outside consultants.  We
>>have an excellent Geological Sciences  department at the UI.  One would
>>think/hope that the city and the  university would be eager to work
>>together on such a project.  The  potential benefits could be enormous. 
>>It
>>would be sad times for  Moscow should the wells ever run dry.
>>
>>*******
>>
>>TACKLING THE WATER ISSUE
>>
>>Troy community leaders express need for new reservoir
>>
>>By Ryan Bentley, Daily News staff writer
>>Published: 08-07-2006
>>
>>Officials in Troy want to pursue a reservoir that would provide the  town
>>with twice the amount of water it needs.
>>
>>Troy is in the preliminary stages of building a 250-million to 300-
>>million-gallon reservoir downstream from its existing 8-million- gallon
>>reservoir.
>>
>>The town collects about 80 percent of its water from the surface and  only
>>uses its two wells during the summer months.
>>
>>The area flooded to house the reservoir would be land the town  already
>>owns and property owned by the University of Idaho.
>>
>>Troy's founders decided more than 120 years ago to buy a large  portion of
>>the drainage that supplies the town with its water.
>>
>>Their foresight may provide the town with the water it needs for  years to
>>come.
>>
>>"Right now, Troy is restricted and can't really grow because we just 
>>don't
>>have enough water," Mayor Ken Whitney Jr. said. "We believe  this is the
>>best option for a sustainable, more plentiful water  supply, but we need
>>the town to sign off on it."
>>
>>The new system's projected cost is approximately $3.5 million. The  city
>>currently has about $1 million saved from select logging on its  drainage
>>area. Water rates would increase to between $10 and $15,  although Whitney
>>said all of the cost analyses and data are rough.
>>
>>The city has been looking at potential reservoir sites since 1993, 
>>Whitney
>>said. The City Council and forester Cliff Todd will explain  the need for 
>>a
>>new reservoir at an Aug. 28 meeting at the Troy Lions  Club. The meeting
>>will begin at 7 p.m.
>>
>>"We need people to be at this meeting," Whitney said. "They are the  ones
>>that have to decide if they really want us to pursue this route."
>>
>>The city could drill more wells for about $100,000 apiece, Whitney  said,
>>but Troy is located over an aquifer that does not have enough  water to
>>continually supply the town.
>>
>>Todd said studies done on the aquifer show it is not part of the  Grand
>>Ronde Aquifer that supplies water to Moscow and Pullman. The  aquifer 
>>under
>>Troy stops before it reaches Moscow, he said. Wells  drilled into the
>>aquifer below Troy pull no more than 150 gallons a  minute, while some
>>wells in the Grand Ronde Aquifer pump more than  2,000 gallons a minute.
>>
>>"At 300 million gallons that would be enough to supply Troy with  enough
>>water for two years if it had 1,500 people living in it," Todd  said. "The
>>reservoir makes the most sense because of the topography,  the creek and
>>the amount of water we can get."
>>
>>The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed Troy's current reservoir  in
>>the 1930s. The town didn't start using groundwater until the 1970s.
>>
>>Whitney said the existing reservoir was nothing more than a muddy  hole
>>last summer, and the wells were running dry.
>>
>>"We were hurting," he said. "If we get a new reservoir we would have 
>>water
>>in reserve for when we have those dry years and not have to  worry every
>>summer and not have to ration."
>>
>>Whitney said formulas he has seen allocate 100 million gallons of  water a
>>year for 800 people, which is the population of Troy. With  its current
>>reservoir, the town can only draw 60 million gallons a year.
>>
>>"Several contractors have come to us wanting to build, but we just  don't
>>have the water," he said. "This will be the foundation in  Troy's growth."
>>
>>The town already has water rights to the drainage area, but it needs  a
>>permit to move the holding area down Big Meadow Creek.
>>
>>Latah County gave the city a conditional use permit for the  reservoir.
>>Now, the citizens must approve the plan and pass the bond  that would pay
>>for the reservoir. The city must hire an engineer to  plan the dam, and 
>>the
>>Idaho Department of Water Resources and the  U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
>>Service
>>have to approve the plan.
>>
>>Todd said one of the contingencies the city faces is making 
>>accommodations
>>for salmon, steelhead and wetlands. Todd said those  shouldn't be a 
>>problem
>>if the city dumps water into the creek during  the summer to accommodate
>>salmon and steelhead and creates new  wetlands to compensate for the 
>>creek.
>>
>>Besides providing for fish, Todd said IDWR wants Troy to dump extra  water
>>into the creek during the summer to accommodate the city of  Juliaetta's
>>needs. Todd said water for fish and people downstream  would be possible.
>>Even if Troy's population doubled, planners still  project an extra 150
>>million gallons.
>>
>>Todd does not foresee running a line to Moscow if the Grand Ronde  Aquifer
>>dries up, but pumping water to accommodate for people  downstream is
>>realistic.
>>
>>"This is the most important issue for Troy," Whitney said. "We are  trying
>>to look far into the future so our kids and grandkids can have  enough
>>water."
>>
>>IF YOU GO
>>
>>* WHAT: Town meeting to hear from the public on whether the city  should
>>pursue a reservoir.
>>
>>* WHEN: Troy Lions Club
>>
>>* WHERE: Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.
>>
>>Ryan Bentley can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 237, or by e-mail  at
>>rbentley at dnews.com.
>
>
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>
>
>


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