Members ATtendance

VISITORS:  Enuf Adams, City of Colfax; Norma Becker, Mayor, City of Colfax; Fritz Fiedler, Professor UI; Scott King, King Groundwater Science, Inc; Kathleen Warnick, interested citizen.

 

1)      Call to Order AND APPROVAL of juLy 18 and August 22, 2002 Minutes
Mark Workman (Chair) called the meeting to order at 2:35 PM.  Minutes for both the July 18 and August 22, 2002 meetings were approved as presented.  There was not a quorum at the August 22, 2002 meeting but an unofficial meeting was held anyway. 

2)      Budget Planning for rest of fiscal year   
  
Due to the most recent holdback in State of Idaho funds, DEQ personnel indicated that the department would not be able to fund the water quality sampling analysis at this time as previously agreed.   Since the ground water quality sampling analysis was expected to cost about $25,000, the withholding of these funds creates a significant financial problem for PBAC, if the ground water quality analysis study is to continue.  In the discussion several points were agreed upon:
1) that an attempt should be made to procure funds for sampling wells on both sides of the state line, not just the Idaho side.




2) since the Idaho DEQ is requiring the extensive testing of water quality in Wanapum and Grande Ronde wells in anticipation of a pilot drainage well from the Wanapum to the Grande Ronde, it is preferred that DEQ pay at least a portion of the comprehensive water testing when funding becomes available.
3) in the meantime an effort should be made to identify all the wells in the Palouse Basin in both Idaho and Washington that should be tested if/when funds become available.   Permission to sample and whether there is access for sampling should also be confirmed while waiting for funding.
4)   Funding sources in both Washington and Idaho should be sought out for this study.
Kirkland also reported discussing options with Jim Osiensky and Kent Keller about changing somewhat Alyssa Douglas’ thesis from a strictly analysis of water quality to a study of water level gradients and the age of the associated ground water.   This would be a continuation of work started under the OK project.   With PBAC’s permission Alyssa will make available what she has started on the water quality study and change directions to expedite the above work which has some data already available.
Kirkland reviewed the other current research projects being funded by PBAC which need continued funding: 1) the OK project is using funds previously committed but PBAC may want to commit additional funds to the water level monitor well project, 2) the Moscow Mountain water quantity and quality study needs continued funding for FY2003, and 3) the monitoring of water levels in Palouse Basin wells, now being done as part of Dennis Owsley’s thesis, will need funding for a person to overlap with Dennis and replace him in the spring.   
 
Kirkland expressed hope that PBAC would still be able to get some matching funds for these and future PBAC research projects.  With that in mind he recommended that some funds be held uncommitted in reserve for match and as a contingency for possible additional work associated with the OK project monitoring wells, which are still to be drilled.  Washington DOE said a single well with multiple access points to different aquifers, even for measurement purposes would not be permitted.  This means drilling at least two monitoring wells to accomplish the same purpose as the proposed multi-proposed single hole monitoring well.  Kirkland also expressed his desire to see the monitoring wells completed and working before the new WSU well is completed and ready for a pump-test so that it could be used to monitor this special event which will be relatively close.   Drilling on WSU’s new well is expected to start before the end of the year. 
After some discussion the following PBAC allocations were agreed upon for the proposed research:
   1)  Continue the enhanced monitoring of well water levels in the Palouse Basin as part of a masters research thesis for another year, $20,000.
   2)  Fund another year of the Moscow Mountain water quantity and quality study, $20,000.  The initial proposal for this project was $27,000.  Fritz Fiedler was present and spoke to this project saying the $6000 for the two principal investigators could be dropped as well as $1000 for equipment that would be nice to have but was not essential, thus reducing the request from $27,000 to $20,000.



   3)  Fund $1000 for Farida Leek, who is working toward a Ph. D. at WSU, to publish the exhaustive list of annotations on ground water studies of the Palouse Basin Aquifer which she has compiled.   She will categorize the studies according to the topics addressed and types of research.   It will be available on computer to facilitate future accessibility.  And
   4)  Fund up to $10,000 for more well water level data loggers.   The new loggers have been a significant boon to gathering improved data on water levels.   The limited number of data loggers presently available must be moved around to the most needed locations.   When the batteries go out they will have to be sent to the factory for recalibration.    More loggers will increase the number of simultaneous data records; reduce the time spent moving them and help to prevent the potent loss of critical data because a logger had to be returned to the factory for recalibration.

Mark Workman moved that the above amounts be allocated to the appropriate research projects, water level monitoring and equipment purchases, leaving $29,000 for matching purposes for the projects that are now limited in scope or on hold for lack of sufficient funds.   Steve Busch seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
 

 

3)      Executive Secretary Position

Kirkland was asked to leave the meeting so PBAC members could freely discuss the possibility of hiring him half-time to fill the executive secretary position, which has been vacant for the past year.   Jay Becker, who chaired the hiring subcommittee of Jay Becker, Mark Workman, Tom Townsend and Steve Busch,  presented the recommendation of the sub committee on who to hire to fill the Executive Secretary position.  This sub committee was empowered last year to interview and recommend a selection.  Over the space of the year a number of candidates were evaluated and one hired on a temporary basis.  He left early in the summer for another job in Arizona.  The sub committee recommended that PBAC hire Larry Kirkland for the half-time Executive Secretary position, paid at the present funding rate which is budgeted based on what was paid to Juliet McKenna.  The starting time was to be determined by the waiting period after retirement from the UI that is required before a person is rehired.  Becker moved adoption of the above recommendation, seconded by Workman and passed by the PBAC as a whole.

4)      REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

a)      Joe Kline, who recently moved from UI to WSU,  is WSUs new representative on PBAC.  He is a construction engineer; his phone # is 335-8721 and his email: jkline@wsu.edu.

b)      Mark Workman reported on progress toward constructing a new structure that will house well # 7, booster station #9, a hypochlorite disinfection system, SCADA equipment and more.     The new structure, to be completed by June, 2003, is expected cost $720,000.
Well #7 pump-tested at 3000 gpm for 24 hours with only 8 feet of drawdown; however, it will only be pumped at 1800 gpm because that is all the permit allows.

c)      Kirkland reported that the Palouse River Basin WRIA 34 held an information meeting in Colfax.   The next step is hiring a moderator to guide the organization and planning in phase I.   The next Palouse River Basin WRIA organizational meeting is expected to be in late October.

5)      NEW BUSINESS

There was no new business.  The meeting was adjourned. 

6)      NEXT MEETING DATE

The meeting was adjourned by consensus.

Respectfully Submitted,

Larry Kirkland

Note: these minutes are submitted in draft form and have not yet been approved by the Committee.