Members ATtendance

VISITORS:  Alyssa Douglas, graduate student, UI; Bob Haynes, Regional Manager, IDWR; Kent Keller, Professor, WSU; Farida Leek, graduate student, WSU; Kelly Moore, interested citizen; Hanxue Qiu, post-doctorate, WSU; Jim Osiensky, Professor, UI; Eric Stern, graduate student, UI; Kathleen Warnick, interested citizen; Joan Wu, Professor, WSU.
 

1)      Call to Order and Approval of May 15, 2003 Minutes- Mark Workman, PBAC Chair, called the meeting to order at 2:33 PM.  The minutes of the May 15, 2003 meeting were approved by consensus.

 

2)     Proposal: “Comprehensive Data Compilation and Analysis for the Palouse Basin Aquifers” – Joan Wu for Project Team of self, Jerry Fairley, Farida Leek and Hanxue Qiu- All present received a handout of the Power Point Presentation and an example cross-section of a portion of the basin using data from various wells.
        In preparing for her Ph. D. work Farida Leek has reviewed all the published findings available dealing with the Palouse Basin aquifers.  A number of interesting findings have come to light as the team has set out to plot changes in observations over time.  A significant problem has been relating water level measurements and strata tops and bottoms in different wells.  The team is requesting PBAC help to complete an annotated bibliography of all publications dealing with Palouse Basin ground water and then to establish a hydrogeologic GIS data base which precisely locates all major wells in the basin and the water level and lithology data available for each of these wells.  The team has begun to construct cross-section maps through the basin.  As the data are gathered and given precise references the cross-sections will be refined.  Contour maps of ground water head measurements will also be produced.
        The team is asking for $10,000 for partial help toward Farida’s Ph. D. work.  These funds will be leveraged to facilitate additional work by Jerry, Hanxue and Joan.  Most of the work will be complete in one year with the possibility of some GIS work extending into the second year.
        PBAC members reacted positively and agreed to act on the proposal at the July meeting when research funding in general will be considered.

3)      Mack Replacement Well (east of Moscow) Permit Considerations- Bob Haynes, Regional Manager, IDWR, out of Coeur d’Alene, requested that PBAC review this request for a water right for a mobile home park east of Moscow and evaluate its impact on management of area ground water resources.  This is not a request for a new water use but a request for a water right on pumping which has existed since the 1940’s.  Apparently no paper work was filed with IDWR once filings were required.  Since the use is known to pre-exist filing requirements, this was an opportunity to evaluate this right while bringing it up to code.  The lack of a filed water right with IDWR came to light because the mobile home park was sold and Dan Mack decided to drill a new well to clear a consent order with Idaho DEQ on the existing well water.  It has been testing positive for biota other than coliform.  At the same time the  mobile home park is being switched over to the new well, Mack is fixing several leaks in the system, adding a storage tank for improving fire flow and adding water treatment.  Even though Mack may add more mobile home units, the new system will still probably use less water because of various conservation measure he is undertaking. 
        The old well and the new well are both in the shallow aquifer system, which does receive recharge.  The Palouse Water Conservation Network appealed the request for the water right.  However, after meeting with the Macks and learning that the request is not for a new water use and that significant conservation measures are being taken by the Macks, PWCN withdrew its appeal of the request for the water right. 
        Steve Busch moved and Mike Holthaus seconded, that PBAC support IDWR issuing a water right to the Macks for 0.2 cfs,  or approximately 90 gpm maximum pumpage, to make legal this long existing  water use from the shallow aquifer for the mobile home park.  The motion was approved with no dissent. 

4)      Motion to bill PBAC Parties for FY2004- Peggy Hammel, the bookkeeper for the Idaho Water Resources Research Insitute and PBAC, conveyed via Kirkland that a motion is needed for the University of Idaho to bill the PBAC entities for FY2004.  After some discussion, Mark Workman moved that PBAC only approve billing of the administrative costs at this meeting and funding for research be considered at the July meeting.  The motion was seconded by Tom Townsend and approved with no dissent.  This means the four pumpers, Moscow, Pullman, UI and WSU will be billed $8000 each toward PBAC administrative costs and Latah and Whitman counties will each be billed $2000 toward PBAC administrative costs.  This permits the pumpers two votes on all issues and the counties one vote.  The counties could pay the $8000 and get two votes if they so desired.  It was again stress that the goal is participation, which is important to PBAC.  However, some fees have to be assessed to meet administrative costs.  The two tiered rate structure was established to facilitate participation by the counties and the small communities pumping from the Palouse Basin aquifers.  Colfax will be billed as soon as the intergovernmental agreement, which is being circulated, is signed by all parties.

 

5)     PBAC By Laws -  Mark Workman reviewed the need for a new set of by laws.   After minimal discussion of the proposed by laws Tom Scallorn made a motion to adopt the new by laws contingent upon final signing of the Intergovernmental Agreement by all parties.  It was seconded by Mike Holthaus.  The motion was approved with no dissent. 

 

6)      Election of new PBAC Chair and Vice-Chair - This was postponed until the next meeting due to time constraints as were the remaining items on the agenda which were not covered.

 

7)      Naylor Farm Update- Bob Haynes reviewed the status of the Naylor Farms LLD water right application.   He said he had not heard from the Cities of Moscow and Pullman or Naylor Farms concerning agreement on the proposed protocol.  Bob also said the procedure would be much cleaner if Latah and Whitman counties, which are interveners, would also agree to the protocol.  Mark Workman said he would meet with Whitman County and Tom Strohschein, commissioner for Latah County, said he would pursue agreement on the protocol for Latah County.
        Bob said that the Naylor representatives still need to turn in the requested information to the State and he would be pursuing that in the near future.  After the protests are retracted based on agreement on the protocol and Naylor Farm representatives have provided the State with the required information, IDWR will provide a complete packet of information to PBAC for review and evaluation of compatibility with the local ground water management plan.  The final decision for granting a water right and how much to grant rests with the State.  Bob emphasized that the amount requested is the maximum that could be granted.  If a water right is granted the amount in the right could be considerably less based on actual beneficial use and other factors.

 

8)      Reports and Announcements
a.The new WSU Well - Kirkland reported that WSU is planning to pump-test its new well # 8 in early-to-mid July.  This will be an important opportunity to check connectivity within the Palouse Basin and should provide valuable insight into where to locate the monitoring well field originally proposed as part of the OK project. WSU hopes to have the well in operation by this coming fall.

 

9)      NEXT MEETING DATE

 

The meeting was adjourned by consensus.

Respectfully Submitted,

Larry Kirkland