[Vision2020] Water

[Mark Solomon]

It all has to do with which aquifer the city wells are pumping from. 
Wanapum water is heavy in iron and manganese that make for the taste 
and the brown color (especially when treated for sanitary purposes 
with chlorine). Grande Ronde water is virtually free of iron and 
manganese or an other trace contaminants. Up until 1960, Moscow 
pumped Wanapum water exclusively, so Pat's observation that it's 
always been brown is likely correct up until that time. In 1960, the 
Wanapum wells were replaced with deeper Grande Ronde wells which then 
supplied almost all the Moscow water until 1990 when demand (growth) 
outstripped the ability of the GR wells to supply the city. Since 
1990, Wanapum water has been mixed with Grande Ronde water in a 30/70 
ratio adding the color and taste back into the water supply. Older 
houses probably never got the full benefit of the 30 years of GR 
water as the sediments and iron bacteria that Janesta wrote about 
live in the pipes. So if you lived close to one of the GR wells 
between 1960 and 1990 in a new house in a new subdivision you 
probably had good clean water during that time.

m.

At 2:59 PM -0700 8/5/07, Robert Dickow wrote:
>The Moscow water tastes... ok... wait a minute..!?
>
>I think I hear faint gagging noises coming from my Britta pitcher.
>
>Bob Dickow, troublemaker
>
>-----Original Message-----
>...<snip>
>
>We lived in Moscow 20 some years ago, and never had problems with our water.
>
>We've been back for two years now, and didn't have a problem (other than the
>yellow-ish hard water) until just recently.  Now the bathwater looks like
>really strong tea, and sometime like really weak coffee.
>
>I've called the city, and they have supposeded flushed out the system,
><snip>...