Re: public water/private profit

[Bill London <london@moscow.com>]

I would also welcome an end to closed-door discussions about our water.  I also
wonder why the county is not involved in this discussion, since it is likely
that individual farm wells will be directly impacted and since the pumps will
be located in the county.
   But I also question two basic assumptions about this request to deplete our
aquifer.
    Both assumptions have been repeated by city officials and in the Daily News
editorial.  I believe both assumptions are wrong.
    The first assumption is that we can negotiate and compromise a good
solution to this request.  The request is to create a whole new industry
(large-scale irrigated agriculture) here on the Palouse.  If we negotiate how
much water this new industry will pump from our aquifer, we are only
negotiating how quickly the aquifer will be depleted.  A few individuals may
profit, but we would all lose because we will run out of water.  We need to
just say no to this kind of request.  We are already depleting the aquifer
because of our continued compromising.
    The second assumption is that it would be bad to get state or federal
regulators involved.  I welcome the involvement of any oversight agency that
could control our continued mining of this aquifer.
    BL

Priscilla Salant wrote:

> Visionaries,
>
> I have so many questions about the proposed irrigation project.  Does
> anyone know more about the efficacy of applying clay as a pesticide?  And
> our topography here on the Palouse would seem to preclude extensive
> irrigation, especially of this magnitude.  What's the plan?
>
> I also don't understand why discussions are being held behind closed doors.
>  The public will benefit by hearing both the pros and cons instead of
> speculating about tidbits of information and rumor.  Open the discussions,
> please.
>
> Priscilla Salant
>
> At 08:31 AM 11/6/2002 -0800, Bill London wrote:
> >    Naylor Farms (located a few miles north of Moscow) has requested
> >rights to pump 2.8 billion gallons of water from our aquifer every year
> >to use for irrigated farming in this area.  The request to the Idaho
> >water rights board was made by Brent Thompson, who owns the Sacajawea
> >Motel in Lewiston.
> >    2.8 billion gallons per year is more than the cities of Moscow and
> >Pullman PLUS both universities used in 1998.
> >    According to Mark Cook, Moscow's public works director, both Moscow
> >and Pullman have filed a protest with the Idaho Department of Water
> >Resources and will be meeting with them on Friday.  Both Moscow and
> >Pullman are asking Naylor Farms to withdraw that request.  If Naylor
> >refuses, the cities hope to schedule a public hearing here about this.
> >    Stay tuned....
> >
> >