[Vision2020] Sell-Outs: Senator Gary Schroeder and Moscow City Councilman Walter Steed

[Paul Rumelhart]

Bill London wrote:
> P-
> I disagree on both points
>
> 1. "we have control"
> nope.  Hawkins will have control.  They will have the contractual 
> right to (as I recall) 65 acre feet annually.  They can use that water 
> or sell it or dump it in Paradise Creek.  Moscow must supply that 
> amount by contract.  If the aquifer drops and we are rationing water 
> or whatever, they are first in line.  Maybe they will be nice and sell 
> it back to us.

If the aquifer drops, and we are rationing water, Hawkins is pulling it 
out of the aquifer somewhere else.  Who knows how much water they are 
taking from it?  30 acre feet?  65 acre feet?  130 acre feet?

>
> 2. "we make money"
> nope. The latest I heard was Moscow will get less than $10,000 per 
> year, total from the Hawkins deal. And the reality is that the loss of 
> sales tax and property tax revenue from the movement of business 
> across the state line will much more than offset that meager amount. 
> And if their use, or other growth, requires Moscow to drill deeper, we 
> all pay for Hawkins water --again --because of those huge capital costs.

If Washington ever extends their infrastructure to the border, which 
they might be prompted to do if Hawkins can't buy their water from us, 
then we'll lose those businesses and their property taxes and sales 
taxes anyway.  If Hawkins is getting the water from the same aquifer but 
just through wells or through Washington's infrastructure, then we'll be 
stuck drilling deeper anyway.

As I say, I'm not gung-ho about this situation, but I don't see how we 
really win in either scenario.  But at least we'll be getting something 
for it if we do sell to them.

Paul

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> BL
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