Members ATtendance

VISITORS:  Farida Leek, WSU Ph.D student; Brandon Billing, WSU Student; Kathleen Warnick, interested citizen.

1)      Approval of the September 16, 2004 Meeting Minutes – Rob Corcoran, the PBAC Chair, called the meeting to order at 2:31 PM. The minutes were approved unanimously.

2)      Status Report on GIS Data Base and associated Work (Farida Leek) - [2 pg Handout - Progress Report on Project Comprehensive Data compilation and Analysis for the Palouse Basin Aquifer (PBA)]. The goal of this project is to develop a foundation for improved and informed PBA ground-water resources assessment and management by compiling existing data pertinent to the hydrogeology of PBA into digital format. This project is currently funded through PBAC starting August 1, 2003 and an ending June 30, 2005.

a)      GIS Database:  Since August 1, 2003, 736 wells have been digitized in the GIS database. Farida has been translating them from Township and Range coordinates to GIS coordinates of longitude and latitude. This will give a consistent and precise location for all basin wells. Farida is working to make the program workable in the Township and Range system as well as the Universal Transverse Mercator, UTM, system. This database can be accessed and added to by multiple users.  Wells that were less than 50 feet deep were not entered into the database and wells between 50-100 feet with complete attribute information were kept and digitalized. The digitalized wells include 23 wells in the Palouse Louse, 297 wells in the Wanapum, 128 wells in the Grande Ronde and 54 wells in the basement granite. The remaining 234 wells are currently being digitized. (See Handout) Farida is double checking all of her data and references to make sure they are accurate. More information will be available in the attribute table for each well. Important attributes include: well ID, well location, time of construction, well type, land surface elevation, well depth, screening position and the formation yielding water. Maps will be finished with a complete attribute table in December of 2004. GIS database will also include information on stream networking, soil types and general geology. Corcoran asked if the water rights were to be added to the attribute table and Farida stated that she was not focusing on this issue. It was suggested that she might want to incorporate water right data. It is readily available online at both the Washington DEQ website and the IDWR website. John Bush said his research indicated a high percentage of the well information contains a wrong location or other misinformation. Kirkland stated that PBAC is planning to check all wells against area maps and physically check the location accuracy of all wells involved in research projects.

b)      Annotated bibliography: Farida has been using Reference Manager to compile documents and references regarding the PBA system. Since August 1, 2003 a total of 76 references have been annotated. Out of the 76 references, 32 have had complete information recorded in the database. 

c)      Next Quarterly Report:  Farida said her next progress report will be in January 2005.

3)      Naylor Water Right Application  –

a)      Report on Intervener Hearing held by IDWR  – Stroschein reported that he was pleased that the Latah prosecutor did so well. He felt that the hearing covered all of the issues nicely, however, nothing was resolved. The hearing officer has 60 days to issue his report. Kirkland stated that most issues the interveners were concerned about are addressed by the protocol. Naylor Farms restated that they would continue to stick to the protocol. 

b)      Shallow Aquifer Benchmarking Study and Naylor Area  – Kirkland reported that the benchmarking study of shallow aquifer wells has already started. Latah County agreed to assist in funding this project, but which wells and how much funding have yet to be decided. Stroschein stated he would like to delay the final decision on which wells are monitored until he has more information. Kirkland asked for input from PBAC on monitoring work to be done in the Naylor Farm area. All wells within a ½ mile have to be monitored as Naylor’s responsibility under IDWR guidelines. Naylor is willing to discuss PBAC doing the monitoring if IDWR grants them a temporary water right. Kirkland suggested that PBAC, through the shallow aquifer benchmarking study, follow up with anyone who calls asking to have their water level monitored. Only a few wells might be fitted with loggers to record continuous data. The rest of those which have access for monitoring can be checked monthly to establish an annual water level datum for each well. Corcoran asked how many wells PBAC can afford to monitor both financially and time wise. There are 12 to 15 loggers available for continual monitoring of shallow aquifer wells.  Kirkland clarified that PBAC will be doing some monitoring basin wide, not just the area surrounding Naylor Farms. Kirkland stated that many wells can be monitored on a monthly basis.

c)      Position Statement of PBAC on Naylor Water Right Application– Kirkland encouraged PBAC to think about its position on the Naylor Farm water right because IDWR could request a response with very little notice. Kirkland stated PBAC needs to address the potential impact the proposed Naylor wells will have on the PLAN since that is the question IDWR will be asking. If the protocol, which will be included in any water right granted Naylor, is adequate protection of the Plan, then PBAC needs to tell IDWR. If there are additional caveats that PBAC wants included, these should be identified.  It was mentioned that PBAC should address a procedure for how to handle large water rights applications in the future. After a brief discussion of protocol, Workman agreed to send all PBAC members the latest version. The protocol will be an agenda item at the next meeting.

4)      OLD BUSINESS 

a)      Annual Report  – n/a

b)      Budget Sheet   – The budget is not completely correct since some money has been included in the account total that has not yet been received. This includes last year’s research funds from WSU and shallow aquifer research funds from Latah County and Naylor Farm.  (See budget sheet.) Kirkland said John Bush has been doing excellent work for PBAC and requested that he be allowed to extend the time frame for KEK181 through next semester with no further funding requested. John Bush has been working on several geologic maps and cross-sections beyond what he originally proposed, all of which are to PBAC’s benefit. This motion was voted on and passed. A second motion was moved to authorize transfer of $145.21 out of the KEK189 contingency to complete the purchase of loggers. Motion passed unanimously. 

 

5)      REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

a)      Whitman County Monitoring Well Field  – Kirkland stated that the best site to drill the monitoring well field in Whitman County is on the WSU Cunningham Farm property.  Since the farm is for agriculture research, Gary Wells requested that more information be given to him to review. Communications are now going on between Wells and WSU personnel concerning the request for drilling the monitoring well field on the Cunningham Farm. 

b)      Passive Recharge Pilot Project  using UI  Well # 2 –  Kirkland stated that he and Jim Osiensky have been conversing with IDWR and IDEQ to get a coordinated set of requirements for proceeding with the data gathering. Kirkland anticipated it would take a while to compile all the requested data for agency review of the proposed pilot project. 

c)      Idaho Interim Natural Resource Legislative Subcommittee Hearing  – Kirkland stated that Les MacDonald’s presentation was excellent and the subcommittee adapted the presentation exactly as it was written. The subcommittee will request that the first two projects be given top priority and the rest be financed as soon as funding becomes available. The request is for $474,000 for the first two projects. Letters of support from Latah County and Moscow Chamber of Commerce have been sent out. The Moscow City Council is discussing sending a letter; however, no letter has been drafted. There has been concern by some Moscow City Council members about injection of water into the aquifers. Les stated that he thought PBAC should make a presentation to help educate them on the situation.

d)      Report on the borehole video of Moscow Cemetery wells  – The wells in question are located on Mountain View Road by the cemetery. Kirkland stated that Golder Associates’ Jim Bailey has a setup where he can drop a special TV camera down a well to examine it. MacDonald stated that both the old and the new cemetery wells have a lot of plugging in the screens at the bottom. There appears to be mud caked on much of the screen. This seems to be why production of the wells is down. An electromagnetometer was put down the new well to answer the question of whether the casing had been retracted correctly. It showed that there was no casing outside the screen and it had been correctly removed. The well itself is 515 ft deep. John Bush stated that there is more than likely sand mixed with the clay that is plugging the wells. If this is the case, one screen with one size will not do the job because the fine screen is getting clogged with the larger sediment.

e)      WRIA – Kirkland stated that there were two meetings. The first one dealt with closing out the data collection phase and the second dealt with evaluating consultants for the Phase III portion of the study.

f)        Exposure in the Communities –

i)  Moscow: stated that they are seeing a significant reduction in the amount of water pumped in 2004. The pumping figures are the lowest in about a decade.

ii) Paradise Creek Advisory Committee: Townsend stated that there was a desire in the community to set an appropriate TMDL for Paradise Creek given the background levels in the runoff. It was a difficult project because EPA would not accept the proposed guidelines.  The final publication should be available in the near future.

iii) Pullman: With help from Golder Associates Pullman will be drilling a new well, # 8, to replace Well #3 down by Pullman Building Supply. The project is delayed, but should be moving by the first of the year.

iv) WSU: Is moving forward with installing a new pump in its new well # 8. This well should be up and running around Christmas.

v) Colfax: n/a

6)      NEW BUSINESS- n/a    

7)     NEXT MEETING DATE

By consensus the meeting was adjourned at 4pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Larry Kirkland

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