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<body><P >I believe that we should do whatever necessary to increase our water supply. When the Palouse was settled and made into a wheat producing landscape many small ponds, wetlands and such were drained off. These drained areas were perhaps the recharge engines for our upper <FONT class="" >aquifer</FONT>. How about reclaiming some (many) of these areas for this? Federal, State, maybe even county technical <FONT class="" >asistence</FONT> (maybe some monetary) would be available to start such a program and I expect our ever-growing urban farmer population on their 40 acre tracts would be interested in having a pond etc..</P>
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<P >Also I remember hearing about an artesian well on Doc. Lucas's (Bless him) property south of moscow. That site and potentially others might be developed to provide catch/holding basins (his is in bedrock I think) for water that might be sold to the city or on a smaller scale sold to neighbors for irrigation. </P>
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<P >The problem with the emphasis on conservation is that it really does impact the quality of life for many who looked forward to gardening their home lot and making it a masterpiece of tranquility. contrary to some on the list, I see no evil in wanting your grounds to be a preserve in which to sooth ones soul. I also don't think we are doing anything about increasing the water available to keep Moscow the beautiful green place it is. We <FONT class="" >haven't</FONT> even begun to work on the problem and <FONT class="" >already</FONT> it seems the consensus is to relegate Latah to a desert environment. That is not what Latah county is by any measure, we just have not worked hard enough in making it remain the paradise that it is.</P>
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<P >Another thing...is there available a chart/graph that shows how much water a family should use to be considered <FONT class="" >unhoglike</FONT>? It would be interesting to know how much water we should expect to use for the things we do.</P>
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<P >My toilets work fine and I surely don't want to mess with something that critical when they are good now. </P>
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<P >James <BR ><BR ></P>
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<P>> From: deco@moscow.com<BR>> To: vision2020@moscow.com<BR>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Water: What is missing<BR>> Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:00:50 -0700<BR>> <BR>> Thank you Nils for the comment which is really at the heart of the matter:<BR>> <BR>> "If the assertion in #1 [A large enough segment of the Moscow electorate <BR>> willing to be educated on this issue. There are many people who believe <BR>> that the water issue is not that important at this time.] is true, many <BR>> people don't believe its an issue, then I doubt the rest of the items can <BR>> follow."<BR>> <BR>> Mark Solomon and Bill and Diane French of the Palouse Water Conservation <BR>> Network (PWCN) have devoted substantial amounts of time and effort <BR>> attempting to educate us about the aquifer and water <BR>> usage/replenishment/conservation.<BR>> <BR>> [For example, a recent post by Mark Solomon (reposted below) about the <BR>> amount of water usage need to support the proposed Super WalMart should be a <BR>> real eye opener.]<BR>> <BR>> Although PBAC (Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee) continues important work on <BR>> the subject, they and their former leader Larry Kirkland, lost a lot of <BR>> credibility and in my opinion did a great deal of damage to the water <BR>> conservation effort by Kirkland's endorsement of the Naylor Farms proposal <BR>> and by their tepid response to the WSU golf course proposal [and now a plan <BR>> becoming reality.]<BR>> <BR>> Besides the efforts of Solomon and the Frenches, we need political leaders <BR>> who not only talk the game by give cheer-leader type speeches on the <BR>> subject, but ones who will dig in to come up with, finance, and lead a <BR>> multi-prong program carefully designed to educate the electorate and to <BR>> motivate them enough to be willing to conserve. This is not a small task as <BR>> you can see by the responses on this forum.<BR>> <BR>> Mark's water budget concept is an excellent proposal. It needs courageous, <BR>> relentless political support. That support will be hard to come by without <BR>> a majority of the electorate willing to make some major changes/sacrifices <BR>> both little and big in their water consumption habits. That's why a lot of <BR>> education, much of it repetitive but tantalizingly packaged in a number of <BR>> different, effective ways, needs to be done and done well.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Wayne A. Fox<BR>> 1009 Karen Lane<BR>> PO Box 9421<BR>> Moscow, ID 83843<BR>> <BR>> (208) 882-7975<BR>> waf@moscow.com<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> __________________________________________________________________________________<BR>> To add another piece to the water thread, there is the issue of how we <BR>> support growth and development in Moscow when we are at or beyond the <BR>> ability of our aquifers to supply water to the city.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Fact: the deep Grande Ronde aquifer has no identified recharge mechanism and <BR>> continues to fall 1-2'/year.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Fact: the upper Wanapum aquifer recharges seasonally (winter runoff) through <BR>> mechanisms not quite identified (the ongoing Latah County Hydrogeological <BR>> Characterization Project is designed to answer that question) but the <BR>> current rate of withdrawal from the Wanapum exceeds the recharge. Historical <BR>> pumping records indicate that Wanapum well levels may drop precipitously <BR>> within 15 years.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Fact: the City of Moscow is signatory to the regional Palouse Basin Aquifer <BR>> Agreement which requires each pumping entity (Moscow, Pullman, UI, WSU) to <BR>> limit increases in pumping to 1% annually and to not exceed a total cap of <BR>> 125% of the total volume pumped as an average of the years 1982-1987 for a <BR>> cap of 875 million gallons/year (MGY). It was hoped that limiting pumping <BR>> increases would allow the aquifer levels to stabilize. They were wrong.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Fact: From 1994 to 2003, Moscow exceeded its 1% annual growth limit and from <BR>> 1998-2003 its 875 mgy cap.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Fact: After Moscow area conservation and civic groups filed a petition with <BR>> the State asking for designation of Moscow area aquifers as Critical <BR>> Groundwater Management Areas and Groundwater Management Areas the City <BR>> implemented mandatory landscape irrigation measures that reduced the amount <BR>> of water pumped by the City from 919 MGY in 2003 to 819 MGY in 2005. <BR>> (Bravo!) 2005 was the first year since the city signed the PBAC agreement <BR>> that it was in compliance with the agreement.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Fact: Moscow City wells (with the exception of Wells 6&8 which have had <BR>> their pumping significantly decreased due to internal piping issues) <BR>> continue to have declining water levels despite the conservation efforts of <BR>> people and businesses across the city.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Fact: the SuperWalmart developer, on page 6 of his application for a rezone <BR>> of the Thompson property across from the cemetery, forecasts full build out <BR>> at 1.5 million square foot of commercial space. The applicant predicts water <BR>> useage based on full build out at over 62 MGY. Full build out would <BR>> increase water pumped by 7.6% above current levels violating the 1% annual <BR>> increase. Full build out will also cause the City to exceed its absolute cap <BR>> of 875 mgy.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Question: Is this how we want to use the water we have conserved? Do we want <BR>> to give all our water to Walmart?<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Answer: The City Council is holding a public hearing on Walmart's proposed <BR>> rezone 5/1, 7:00 pm , Council Chambers (unless they move it to someplace <BR>> where all the people who are likely to attend can actually fit in the <BR>> room...)<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Mark Solomon<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> ----- Original Message ----- <BR>> From: "Nils Peterson" <nils_peterson@wsu.edu><BR>> To: <vision2020@moscow.com><BR>> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 10:13 PM<BR>> Subject: [Vision2020] Water: What is missing<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> > 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 <BR>> >> 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 <BR>> >> 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>> > _____________________________________________________<BR>> > List services made available by First Step Internet,<BR>> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<BR>> > http://www.fsr.net<BR>> > mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>> > ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<BR>> ><BR>> > <BR>> <BR>> _____________________________________________________<BR>> List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>> http://www.fsr.net <BR>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>> ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<BR></P><br /><hr />Join the next generation of Hotmail and you could win the adventure of a lifetime <a href=' http://www.imagine-msn.com/minisites/sweepstakes/mail/register.aspx' target='_new'>Learn More.</a></body>
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