Concerning your question regarding different wells within
the City of Moscow.
Presently, Moscow gets its water from five wells
in two seperate aquifers. City wells 2 and 3, located near the water
works building on A Street, are developed in the shallow Wanapum
basalt aquifer. This aquifer contains higher levels of iron and
managanese than do the other three city wells. Water from wells 2
and 3 is first treated with potassium permanganate, a granular
material resembling graphite in appearance, which induces the
particulate matter to coagulate and be filtered out of the water.
This special filter process routes the water through four
10,000 gallon tanks containing gravel, dense sand particles, and
fine-grained anthracite coal removing the coagulated particles.
However, even with this processing, water coming throuh your faucet
may still taste of iron and sometimes smell of sulfur (rotten eggs).
The taste and smell is a function of the shallow aquifer's chemical
composition. The smell is due to a high concentration of harmless,
natuarlly occuring sulfates in well 3. These sulfates convert to
hydrogen sulfide gas when the water is exposed to oxygen. The smell
is more noticeable when you use hot water and may be reduced
by replacing your hot water heater's magnesium anode with an aluminum
alternative. The anode will draw corrison away from the wallls of
your water tank.
The remaining city wells, 6 (located at Rotary Park, F St. &
Orchard), 8 and 9 (located at the west end of Moscow
Mall) are all located in the deeper, Grande Ronde basalt aquifer.
Their depths are 1242, 1305and 1458 feet. The lower aquifer contains
very clean and veryold water, approching 10,000 years old or older.
This water is simply treated with a small amount of chlorine to
prevent bacteria from infecting the water supply. The bacteria does
not exist in the aquifer's water but, the city's extensive water
distribution system is prone to bacterial infection, no matter how
well it's maintained.
The water from the wells in both the shallow and the
deep aquifers is then pumped to either one of the city's four
high-capacity water tanks or to homes and businesses. The water
distribution system does not direct water from different
wells to specific parts of town. However, homes located closer to
one of these wells may receive a higher portion of that particular
well's water than a home located across town from that well.
Additional information on your drinking water from Moscow, UI,
Pullman, and WSU is available by contacting the Pullman-Moscow
Water Resources Committee (PMWRC)at 885-4569. The PMWRC publishes
an Annual Palouse Water Use Report, available to the public at no
charge the 1997 Report will be available June 1998). The committee
is charged with coordinating efforts to ensure a long-term supply of
high quality water. The committee was established by the cities of
Pullman, Washington and Moscow, Idaho, Washington State University,
the University of Idaho, and Whitman and Latah Counties. Each entity
has two representatives on the committee. PMWRC activities include
(1) public outreach, (2) aquifer system research, and (3) water
conservation efforts.
Sincerely,
Steve Gill, Executive Secretary, PMWRC