Palouse Basin Groundwater Forum

["French" <dfrench@moscow.com>]

This is a (long) announcement for an upcoming community event.  Additionally, we are collecting questions from the  public now so that we might try to provide answers during the forum.  If any of you Visionaries would like to submit a water related question, please email it to pwcn@moscow.com before the forum and preferably by November 3rd.

 

Thank you,

Dianne French

Have you ever wondered where the water spouting from your faucet actually comes from and where is goes once it disappears down the drain? What would you do if you turned on your faucet and nothing came out? Could you get through the day without your morning shower or your morning coffee? Is it okay to hose down the driveway with drinking water? How should we plan for future demands on our water supply? Should communities limit growth based on availability of natural resources? What IS a reasonable use of the ancient, pristine, natural water that lies deep within the Grande Ronde aquifer below the Palouse?

If any of these questions intrigue you, please mark your calendars for two interesting evenings in November. On Tuesday, November 19 and Thursday, November 21 from 7:15 to 9:30 p.m. The Groundwater Forum for the Palouse Basin will be held in the 1912 Center on 3^rd Street in Moscow. This informative event is worth the attention of all residents of the Palouse (especially those in Moscow and Pullman) as it will discuss how water enters and leaves our groundwater basin and how to protect this precious resource.

Presentations for the first evening will surround the science of our aquifer system. Speakers will include Larry Kirkland, Executive Secretary of the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee (PBAC). Mr. Kirkland will present facts about our local aquifer system as well as alternatives for future supplemental water supplies. Moscow’s three-dimensional aquifer model will be on display and operating.

The second evening will include what residents and business owners can do to stretch the use of this ancient resource. Speakers will include Tim Eaton, owner of Prairie Bloom Nursery, to discuss intelligent landscapes that work in our climate with little water; Dianne French, Chairperson of Moscow’s Commission on Health/Environment and co-founder of the Palouse Water Conservation Network, to discuss indoor water conservation ideas for home and business; and Mark Cook, Moscow Public Works Director, to discuss water pricing and issues relating to municipal water supplies. After these presentations, there will be a panel discussion with questions from the audience.

Each informative evening will include delicious refreshments provided by the Moscow Food Coop, educational literature for participants, displays and the model aquifer. There will be question and answer sessions. Moscow will also be celebrating our new status as a Groundwater Guardian Community.

As water levels within our main aquifer, the Grande Ronde, continue to decline and population levels continue to increase, our community must decide what it will do to stabilize water levels and ensure a lasting water supply for the region. Economic growth will require us to stretch our natural resources and make the best use of them. As Ben Franklin said in 1733, "When the well is dry, we learn the worth of water."

Please join us for two evenings of informative discussion about the resource without which we cannot survive. The Groundwater Forum is co-sponsored by the Moscow Food Coop, the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute, the Palouse Water Conservation Network, and the City of Moscow.