Members ATtendance

VISITORS:  Farida Leek, graduate student, WSU; Hanxue Oiu, post-doctorate, WSU; Joan Wu, Professor, WSU.
 

1)      Call to Order and Approval of April 17, 2003 Minutes- Mark Workman, PBAC Chair, called the meeting to order at 2:35 PM.  The minutes of the April 17, 2003 meeting were approved by consensus.

2)      Characterization of Grande Ronde Aquifers in the Palouse Basin using Large-scale Aquifer Tests – Dennis Owsley
Dennis review the highlights from his thesis.   The hydraulic connections observed from four large-scale (extending over at least several miles) aquifer tests in the Grande Ronde Formation were presented. 
        In the first large-scale pump test, WSU well # 7 was pumped for 12 hours at 2500 gpm.  This is the deepest well in the Pullman area.  However, it is completed for pumping to comparable depths as the Moscow wells and the Washington DOE test well (WDOE).  It took about 15 minutes for the pumping to show up in City of Palouse well #2.  There were no impacts of the pumping registered by loggers in the WDOE test well, UI well #4 or City of Moscow wells #6, #8 and #9.  However, UI well #4 was turned on after 620 minutes due to critical water demands and this pumping registered almost immediately in the WDOE test well.
        In the second pump test, UI #4 was pumped for about 500 minutes at 2323 gpm.  There were dramatic results in City of Moscow #9 (CM9), WDOE and City of Palouse #2 (CP2).  No results were observed in CM6, CM8 or in Pullman or WSU wells.
The third pump test, UI #4 and CM9 were pumped concurrently for about 3.5 hours at just under 5000 gpm to test the connectivity with Palouse #2.  A clear hydraulic connection was manifest in CP2 in about 10 minutes.  Negative boundary effects from the crystalline basement rocks or impermeable basalt could also be identified.  A response was seen within minutes at the WDOE test well as expected, both at the start and cessation of pumping.  Again no responses were registered in CM6 and CM8. 
        In the fourth pump test, CM8 was pumped for about 6.5 hours at about 1100 gpm.  An immediate response was registered in CM6.  Again negative boundary effects were observed.  The unexpected result was the response of WDOE to pumping of CM8.  It has been suggested that this connection may be through the Wanapum rather than the Grande Ronde.  No measurable impact was observed in the CP2 well, CM9, UI4 or in Pullman/WSU wells. 
From theses pump tests, Dennis concluded that there are at least three separate aquifers in the Grande Ronde Formation which are so poorly connected that short-term pumping effects do not transmit from one to the next.   Both a Pullman area aquifer and a Moscow area aquifer that are at about the same depth extend to the City of Palouse where impacts of pumping from both were observed in CP2.  The third aquifer appears to exist only under the Moscow side of the basin including the WDOE test well but it does not extent to the Palouse area.
        Dennis recommended that PBAC: (1) continuing monitor of water levels; (2)  conduct more large-scale pump tests, especially ones involving UI3 and any boundary wells to the southwest and northwest; (3) provide longer recovery periods both before and after the pump tests to improve the calculated results; and (4) drill more monitoring wells to help fill in data gaps and provide long-term records.  He also recommended attempting to discern the boundaries and basement rock using geophysical means. 
In response to questions Dennis said there needs to be more tests in the Pullman area but the wells are hard to work with because most are open for hundreds of feet making it difficult to tell where the water might be coming from.
To another question he pointed out that Grande Ronde basalt flows observed in Pullman are observed in Palouse but they are some 200 feet higher in elevation.  The overlying flows in the Pullman area have pinched out before getting to the Palouse area. 
He said no connection between Grande Ronde pumping and Wanapum water levels ever observed.  The two aquifer systems appear to be completely separate.

3)      PBAC Intergovernmental Agreement- Mark Workman stated that the intergovernmental agreement was in final form and 8 copies were being passed around to collect signatures.  He wanted the signing completed by the June meeting.

4)      By Laws- Mark wants to have the by laws adopted at the June meeting. 

5)     PBAC and OK Project Accomplishments Handouts - Kirkland handed out revised versions of the previously combined PBAC and OK Project accomplishments summary.   Suggestions and comments should be gotten to Kirkland before the next meeting.

6)      Continued discussion of PBAC Project Goals for FY 2004 starting in July 2003 - Kirkland briefly reviewed several handouts describing the PBAC mission, priorities needed to accomplish the mission and possible projects for the next fiscal year in support of these priorities.  Committee members are to review the proposed PBAC budget and come prepared to discuss it and possible projects at the next meeting.

7)      Revised “Description of Palouse Basin Ground Water Availability” to be handed out by IDWR & DOE to non-residential applicants for PBAC- The committee decided to review it for another month.

8)      Naylor Farm Update- Mark Workman reported that he, Mark Cook and Naylor Farm representatives have reached agreement on all items in the proposed protocol except who should have the final say in interpreting disputed results, IDWR or another party such as a consultant.  Discussions are still going on concerning this final item. 

9)      Reports and Announcements
The new WSU Well - The driller, Geotech, had significant difficulty getting through 60 feet of river cobble hit at 750 feet.  Due to the additional cost of drilling through this cobble and the fact that excellent well production had already been documented, WSU chose to stop drilling at 810 feet.   The static water level is 450 feet in the well.   A video of the well is available for viewing.  Kirkland will have a copy available for PBAC to watch before or after the next meeting. Once the casing and screens are in place WSU will pump-test the well.   WSU hopes to have the well in operation by this coming fall. 

 

10)  NEXT MEETING DATE

The meeting was adjourned by consensus.

Respectfully Submitted,

Larry Kirkland