Members ATtendance

 VISITORS:  John Burl*, WSU; Nancy Chaney, Moscow City Council; Keven Gardes, Deputy Public Works Director for City of Pullman; Kent Keller, WSU; Cheryl Morgan, Pullman Property Owner WRIA 34 PU; Bob Haynes, CDA Regional Manager IDWR. 

1. Approval of the June 24, 2004 Meeting Minutes: Rob Corcoran, the PBAC Chair called the meeting to order at 2:35pm. The minutes of the June 24, 2004 meeting were amended, items 2 and 3. Minutes were approved unanimously.  (impt amendments are listed, minor or grammatical amendments are approved “with minor or grammatical amendments”.

2. Water Right Applications – Bob Haynes, the IDWR regional manager, presented two applications asking for increases in existing water rights that are in the shallow aquifer in the vicinity of Moscow.   According to the agreement between PBAC and the State of Idaho PBAC needs to assure the State that any non-exempt water right applications or changes in application are consistent with the Plan for the Palouse Basin.  Since both requests are for small increases in pumping from the shallow aquifer, which is being recharged in excess of current pumping and without any know adverse side affects, both requests are acceptable according to the PBAC Plan of management for the Palouse Basin.  Christopher Reisenauer,  at 3240 Mountain View Road - located about 1 mile north of Moscow, is asking for a permit expansion to included the irrigation of one more acre than his current permit would allow. His well is a 173 ft deep in the shallow aquifer and produces 12gpm, which is about a fourth of what he is asking for.   It was moved to approve the increase in his water right.  The motion passed unanimously.
           The second application was submitted by Mr. Steven Berry, who owns Bel-Air Mobile Park at 1751 North Polk Extension.  He needs to expand his water right to legally cover all the existing mobile home and irrigation uses.  Two wells exist on his property and he is currently pumping these wells at capacity.  He is asking that the water right be increased to 0.2 cfs. The ground water is supplying domestic water to 58 mobile homes and 3 frame homes and irrigation to two five acre tracts within the Moscow city limits.  Kirkland talked with Mr. Berry and he has requested hook up to the City of Moscow water system as soon as possible since his wells are at capacity during irrigation season.  Les MacDonald requested that a decision on this application be postponed for one month to see what the feasibility is for hooking the Bel-Air Mobile Park up to the City of Moscow water system.  Bob Haynes said a decision is needed now because the current water right is out of compliance.  The question asked of the committee is whether it is in conflict with the Palouse Basin Plan. PBAC is supposed to make sure water usage is in the public’s best interest.  A motion recognizing that the change in Steven Berry’s water right application for the Bel-Air Mobile Park was in compliance with the PBAC water management Plan for the Palouse Basin was approved.

3. Progress Report on PBAC GIS Data Base and Information Management – Farida Leek:  Ms. Leek, who is a doctoral student at WSU, is compiling the GIS database for PBAC under the supervision of Professor Joan Wu.  Her Power Point presentation to PBAC was entitled “Developing a Hydrogeology Database for Palouse Basin Aquifer.”  The     Washington and Idaho. Ground water is the sole water supply source for the Pullman-Moscow area. This area has undergone water level decline of 1-2 ft/yr in the past 100 years. Previous studies have yielded different predictions and are inconsistent with current field observations. Objectives: to characterize the hydrogeology of the PBA system, to develop GIS database, and to eventually perform ground-water flow modeling. PBA is divided into four vertical geologic zones. Graph displays water levels over an 80 year period (1923-2003). It shows that Grande Ronde is dropping yearly, while Wanapum and Palouse Loess are stable. Developing a GIS database is important for future predictions. Creating a GIS database will include topography and land use, stream network, soil and geology and aquifer and wells. Various types of maps give useful information for predicting water levels. Other maps show cross sections of the aquifers that include water levels, significant wells that have been drilled. Information shows that Moscow and Pullman have similar water levels and they are connected. There appear to be geological barriers to the northwest and the southwest. Ms. Leek demonstrated how to access the GIS and the reference manager. Larry stated that PBAC would be getting GIS and RM so that other people could access this information.  Current and future efforts include building RM database, include many more wells in the GIS database, GIS spatial analysis and continue to develop hydrogeologic cross sections. Questions were raised about public access – if the proper program is any computer then the information can be accessed.  Discussion of how the basalt that makes up the Grande Ronde flows shows that there is a slight blockage between Moscow/Pullman area and Colfax area.  Question of age dating in the Colfax areas show that the area is similar to Pullman.

4. Request to Purchase 12 additional Loggers: The new budget sheet was discussed  see item below. Amount requested is $10,000. This is so that we don’t have to move the logger around so much. The cost is $750-$850 per logger.  These loggers would be for the shallow aquifer. Motion to purchase the loggers, and the motion passes.

5. Reports and Announcements
   1. Status of IDWR Order regarding Idaho Portion of Palouse Basin – (1) A draft is being put together that is being looked at by the legal staff. A coallition of groups from the Moscow area have asked the director of water resources for several things. They have asked that the Grande Ronde be classified as a critical groundwater area and Wanapum be considered a groundwater management area.

2. Naylor Farm Intervener hearing on June 25, 2004: (2) The purpose of the conference was to explore for any grounds of compromise between Naylor farms and Latah County and Whitman County. It is to come to some kind of an agreement so that all parties are satisfied with the decision and the issue can move forward.   Lois Blackburn and Kelly Moore expressed concern regarding impact on other community members. September 26, 2004 is the final date for both parties to come to an arrangement.

3. Golder Associations Project Review for Idaho Interim Nat. Res. Leg Comm: (3) $1320.00 to do the review that was asked for.  To do an outside review on the projects that were to be submitted to legislation.

4. Memorandums of Agreement: Kirkland stated that there was a change in how the money was spent. These were three, two year projects and PBAC authorized an expenditure of $36,558 for the Gravity project, $31,570 for the Shallow Aquifer and $30,870 for the Deep Aquifer projects for a total of $99,000.  It was requested to have a final okay before they were finished. Approval is requested by Larry Kirkland.  Motion to approve, no discussion. Motion is approved.
5. The changes that were asked for have been changed.

6. NEW BUSINESS: Pullman passed new water and sewer rates. Moscow’s annual Consumer Confidence Report went out this month.

7.      NeXT MEETING DATE

The meeting was adjourned by consensus.

Respectfully Submitted,

Larry Kirkland