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cause?</title></head><body>
<div>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.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>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.)</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>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.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>And let's move on to real issues like "what you gonna do
when the well runs dry?"</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Mark S.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>At 11:20 PM -0700 4/25/06, Donovan Arnold wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Nils,<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
_DJA<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<i><b>Nils Peterson <nils_peterson@wsu.edu></b></i> wrote:<br>
<blockquote>This is a good list, and some clear challenges. If the
assertion in #1 is<br>
true, many people don't believe its an issue, then I doubt the rest of
the<br>
items can follow.<br>
<br>
Is it possible that many think a declining aquifer might be a problem,
but<br>
they don't think they can affect a solution, or that a solution might
be<br>
financially costly to them, or that a solution might have negative
impacts<br>
on the city (read, no growth).<br>
<br>
<br>
Art Deco writes:<br>
> Nils asks:<br>
><br>
> "What is missing to put this into action?"<br>
><br>
> Among other things that may or may not be missing but whose
existence is<br>
> vital:<br>
><br>
> 1. A large enough segment of the Moscow electorate willing to be
educated<br>
> on this issue. There are many people who believe that the water
issue is<br>
> not that important at this time.<br>
><br>
> 2. Enough informed, willing and able persons to do the
one-on-one<br>
> education that it would probably take; the funds that it would
take to<br>
> prepare the materials for and to execute the education
program.<br>
><br>
> 3. A majority on the Moscow City Council with enough courage and
stamina<br>
> to lead, to carefully plan, and to enact the program.<br>
><br>
> 4. A competent enough city manager and staff to successfully
implement<br>
> the program.<br>
><br>
> W.<br>
<br>
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<blockquote type="cite" cite>Yahoo! Mail goes everywhere you do. <a
href=
"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=31132/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/services?promote=mail"><span
></span>Get it on your phone</a>.</blockquote>
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