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thinking</title></head><body>
<div>Hi Tim,</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>When both projects were first proposed they were going to use
recycled waste water effluent for watering. Nice idea until someone
put pencil to paper and figured the cost of treatment/piping/pumping.
Ball fields continue anyway. There could be ways to pull water from
the river right there for watering via careful placement of
groundwater wells in the very shallow aquifer (not the basalt) and I'm
hoping the city is seriously exploring that option. WSU water right
for the golf course is in administrative appeal process (very
court-like) with hearing scheduled for sometime in the early
winter.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>m.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>At 11:52 AM -0700 6/12/07, Tim Lohrmann wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Mark's post below made me wonder again
about the Palouse water situation.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>The official thinking/policy on our water
supply and possible need for conservation sure seems to be
"all over the map" around the area.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>On one hand The City of Moscow seems
to believe that the situation is critical so we need water use
restrictions, conservation planning and etc.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>But at the same time they are apparently
going ahead with the ball fields project on Palouse River Drive that
will require an estimated 5.8 million gallons of water per year for
irrigation.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Don't get me wrong, baseball is
awesome.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Kids playing baseball is even awesomer,
if I can use that word.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>But shouldn't we determine if we can
really spare the water first?</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>I mean as much as I love baseball, I'd
rather the kids have enough to drink, bathe and wash
clothes.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>You know, cover the basics first.<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Then over in Pullman we have WSU building
a new 18-hole golf course.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>I don't know how much water that's going
to require, but I'm sure it's a heckuva lot.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>It's sort of the same sit. as the
ball-fields project only maybe more so.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>So what gives?</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Do the leaders really think our water
shortage is critical?</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Or do we really have plenty to grow grass
for fun?</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Just curious,</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>TL</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>"Those 'technicalities' have a name,
Bobby. They're called the Bill of Rights."</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span> ----Hank
Hill</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> <br>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>
<blockquote><br>
<br>
<i><b>Mark Solomon <msolomon@moscow.com></b></i> wrote:<br>
<blockquote>See the article below to see and example of the sudden
chaos that<br>
could happen here if we don't address our diminishing water
supply.<br>
<br>
Mark<br>
********<br>
June 12 Rocky Barker's blog: State poised to dry thousands of acres of
crops<br>
By Rocky Barker - Idaho Statesman<br>
Edition Date: 06/12/07<br>
<br>
Idaho Department of Water Resources Director David Tuthill will
earn<br>
his money this week.<br>
<br>
A judge dismissed the lawsuit of groundwater users last week and<br>
lifted the restraining order over Tuthill and he told more than
700<br>
waterusers Friday he was prepared to carry through his curtailment<br>
order this week. If he does that then 33,000 acres of crops
already<br>
planted could be dried up this year.<br>
<br>
He will tell a Legislative interim committee what he's going to do<br>
this morning. He has a real quandary. The groundwater users want
him<br>
to grant them a hearing before proceeding with the curtailment so<br>
they can make their case that the two fish producers have not been<br>
injured as much as they say they have by the groundwater pumping
of<br>
the Eastern Snake Plain aquifer.<br>
<br>
But the senior water users, the fish producers, are telling
Tuthill<br>
to do the curtailment first and only then grant the hearing. If he<br>
calls the hearing they may go to court to force him to carry out
the<br>
curtailment order.<br>
<br>
This all seems to be a lot of process but the stakes are high.
Drying<br>
up so much land could put hundreds of farmers out of business.
They<br>
would default on bank loans and leave towns and counties across
the<br>
northern Magic Valley with less tax revenue. State revenues also<br>
could suffer.<br>
<br>
On the other side, some fish producers already have suffered.
Simple<br>
mitigation - providing water purchased from reservoirs - can't be<br>
delivered to them easier if at all in some cases. And the
groundwater<br>
users are competing with the Bureau of Reclamation for the
reservoir</blockquote>
<blockquote>water that is available. They send it downriver to aid
salmon under<br>
the terms of the Nez Perce agreement and they pay more than the<br>
groundwater users say they can afford.<br>
<br>
=======================================================<br>
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serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>
http://www.fsr.net<br>
mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>
=======================================================<br>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote><br></blockquote>
<blockquote> <br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
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