[Vision2020] Water: was Mass Slaughter in Vietnam?

Thu Dec 21 09:15:19 PST 2006

Donovan,

To the best of my knowledge, Moscow's water is perfectly safe. What 
you are experiencing is the high iron content associated with the 
upper Wanapum aquifer mixed with the chlorination added by the city 
water department. Pipes aren't corroding from the water, they are 
scaling up as the iron deposits out (scales) inside the pipes, sinks, 
etc. The problem is likely to get worse as a) Moscow water demand 
grows placing a higher demand on the Wanapum and b) as the Wanapum 
volume shrinks due to the same higher demand.

As an aside, the iron in the water originates in the granitic 
formations that form the eastern boundary of the groundwater basin 
from Moscow Mountain to Paradise Ridge, not the basalt itself.

The deep Grande Ronde aquifer does not show the same iron content and 
I'm told tastes quite clean although I've never had a sample in 
Moscow as both aquifers are mixed in the delivery system. The "bad 
taste" often is noticeably worse in summer when landscape watering 
increases demand which is mostly made up from the Wanapum wells.

The Army Corps of Engineers conducted a study of alternative water 
sources for Moscow/Pullman back in the early 70's that examined the 
feasibility and cost of piping water from the Palouse River above 
Laird Park, Dworshak Res., and the Snake. I don't have a copy so 
can't quote you #s, but they were all very expensive as all involve 
pumping as well as piping costs.

In the meantime, iron is fairly easy and relatively inexpensive to 
filter on a household basis. I recently installed a "full house" 
carbon canister filter at the Red Door. Cost was about $40 at a local 
plumbing supply and requires a filter change once a year. While not 
practical on a city supply level, it will keep your individual 
plumbing, both physical and personal, clean.

m.

At 9:51 PM -0800 12/15/06, Donovan Arnold wrote:
>Mark,
>
>Thanks for responding. I don't recall you discussing much about any 
>realistic alternative sources of water. I also don't recall any 
>conversation regarding the safety/quality of the current water 
>supply. I do know that you have shown the most interest regarding 
>Palouse Aquifer water supply in the area, certainly at least than 
>anyone else on the V.
>
>I would like to see more discussion on the quality/safety of the 
>Palouse water supply and possible ways to use it as a resource to 
>obtain higher quality water for consumption.
>
>I feel, based on no scientific evidence, that drinking this water 
>cannot be very good for us. If it eats piping, stains porcelain, 
>smells bad, and tastes bad, I feel my body is telling me not to use 
>it on an everyday basis, if at all.
>
>Has there been an economic cost/benefit study of how to get fresh 
>water to the Palouse, and its long term benefit to the community? I 
>would think the savings on destroyed pipes, plumbing, washers, 
>dryers, sinks, toilets, bathtubs, showers, and housewear items and 
>clothing items would be worth the expense in itself, not counting 
>the health improvements and savings on purchasing bottled water and 
>filtering systems. Also, the cost of water could be reduced with a 
>less finite supply.
>
>Your thoughts would be appreciated Mark at a time most convenient to 
>you, as I understand you are busy.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Donovan J Arnold
>
>Mark Solomon <msolomon at moscow.com> wrote:
>
>Donovan,
>
>No, I'm not ignoring it but I have answered those same questions on 
>V2020 several times in the last year or so. If you're unable to find 
>them in the archive, I'll be glad to do it again, but I'm a tad busy 
>until Monday.
>
>m.
>
>At 4:36 PM -0800 12/15/06, Donovan Arnold wrote:
>
>>Mark,
>>
>
>
>So I take it you are ignoring my question about Moscow water?
>
>
>
>Donovan J Arnold
>
>Mark Solomon <msolomon at moscow.com> wrote:
>
>Nick,
>
>
>Cambodia has been changing rapidly, for the worse, in the past few 
>years. Sihanouk resigned as King in an attempt to force political 
>reform. He has been replaced as King by one of his sons who spent 
>most of his life in Paris and is a creature of the Prime Minister. 
>The PM, Hun Sen, is a former Khmer Rouge thug who "saw the light" as 
>the Vietnamese Armies were crossing the border and switched 
>allegiances. As partial payback for being given a country to own, 
>Hun Sen recently "negotiated" a new border with Vietnam which of 
>course gives a good chunk of the highlands where the Montagnard 
>tribe lives to Vietnam. Needless to say, given the 
>Montagnard/American history of the Vietnam War, the Montagnards are 
>in deep #$@%. The theoretical democracy is only that, a theory. Hun 
>Sen rules with absolute power, including its corollary, absolute 
>corruption. Opposition political leaders either are in exile or dead 
>at Hun Sen's hand. Until the foreign donor countries that prop up 
>Hun Sen pull the foreign aid plug, it will only get worse. China and 
>Vietnam are now the largest donor countries followed by the EU.
>
>
>It's very sad. I spent several months there two years ago 
>working/teaching metal sculpture techniques to Khmer artists using 
>decommissioned weapons, mostly AK47s, for our raw material. A life 
>changing experience for them, and me.
>
>
>The best in-country source of news I know of is Khmer Intelligence: 
>http://www.khmerintelligence.org/3Q2004.html
>
>
>the website is only sporadically maintained but you can subscribe to 
>their yahoo news group for periodic messages of the low down in 
>Cambodia. Link to subscribe from their website.
>
>
>Mark S.
>
>
>
>
>
>At 10:17 AM -0800 12/15/06, <nickgier at adelphia.net> wrote:
>
>>Greetings:
>>
>>Some more really wild claims from down the hill, this time about 
>>Vietnam.  Where is the evidence for mass slaughter in Vietnam after 
>>we left?  Yes, many were sent to reeducation camps, and many of 
>>those fleeing lost their lives to pirates in the South China Sea.
>>
>>More people are being killed, maimed, and born malformed by 
>>leftover munitions and Agent Orange than ever lost their lives at 
>>the hands of the Communist regime.  I would also hazard to guess 
>>that we killed more Vietnamese (at least one million) than the Viet 
>>Cong ever would have killed if we had not intervened.
>>
>>Before we invaded Cambodia, the country was stable and ruled by 
>>Prince Sihanouk, who, along with his wife, are now King and Queen 
>>of Cambodia.  (When I was there in 2002, their pictures were 
>>everywhere.) Our invasion, plus support for right-wing thugs, 
>>alienated the people and forced them right into the hands of the 
>>Khmer Rouge.
>>
>>The Killing Fields are just as much our responsibility as theirs. 
>>The great irony of course is that Communist Vietnamese troops 
>>defeated the Khmer Rouge, and the UN had one of greatest successes 
>>in making elections possible there.
>>
>>The Johns Hopkins report on Iraqi causalities, which looked at 
>>every single death certificate (90 percent of households surveyed 
>>produced one), showed that a majority of deaths occurred by 
>>coalition air strikes.  This survey was done before the upsurge in 
>>sectarian killings, mainly in Baghdad.  Taking the low end of their 
>>estimates at 400,000 dead, it would take Shias and Sunnis a very 
>>long time to top Bush's slaughter.
>>
>>Yours for accurate history,
>>
>>Nick Gier
>>
>
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