February 15,
2001 Meeting Minutes
University of
Idaho, McClure Hall Rm. 411
|
X |
UI: Larry Kirkland,
Facilities Engineer |
X |
WSU: Craig Benjamin
(Chair), Assistant Director of Facilities Operations |
|
X |
UI: Jay Becker
(Vice-Chair), Assistant Director, Utilities and Engineering |
|
WSU: Pete Grigas,
Facilities Planning |
|
X |
Moscow: Tom Scallorn,
Water Dept. Superintendent |
X |
Pullman: Mark Workman,
Dir. Public Works |
|
X |
Moscow: Steve Busch, City
Council Member |
X |
Pullman: Sue Hinz, City
Council Member |
|
|
Latah County: Loreca
Stauber, County Commissioner |
|
Whitman County: Jerry
Finch, County Commissioner |
|
X |
Latah County: Tom
Townsend, citizen |
|
Whitman County: Derek
Pohle, County Engineer |
|
X |
Executive Secretary and
Technical Advisor: Juliet McKenna |
|
|
Bethany Armstrong (UI), Landon Beck (UI), Bill French (Moscow resident), Art Garro (City of Pullman), Diane Hopster (UI), Kent Keller (WSU), Alex Kirk (WSU), Roy Mink (Idaho Water Resources Research Institute), Jim Osiensky (UI), Kathleen Warnick (Latah County resident)
Craig Benjamin (Chair) called the meeting to order at 2:30 P.M. Minutes were approved as distributed.
Progress was reported in the following areas:
1. Water level monitoring/aquifer testing including:
a. 6/14/00 Whitman County Public Works Shop aquifer test and analysis
b. 6/29/00 Moscow aquifer test and analysis
c. Continued water level monitoring in wells previously established as monitoring points
d. Continued contact of well owners for potential use of wells and moving data loggers
e. Continued water level data analysis
2. GPS well survey including:
a. Completed 46-well survey within basin including all wells that have been instrumented with data loggers and all Moscow, Pullman, UI, WSU, Palouse, Albion and Colfax municipal wells
b. Processing data to gain accuracy within 3 cm for horizontal and vertical coordinates of wells
c. Working to place data in a GIS-friendly format for creation of modern maps
d. Integrating water level and GPS data; re-evaluating data with elevation corrections, and creating computer-aided basin cross-sections with elevation corrections
3. Initiating data file extraction from the Cities of Moscow and Pullman including:
a. Water level measurements at time intervals of 1 min. and 1 hr.
b. Water level measurements to 0.01 ft. accuracy
c. Well flow data at same time intervals as above
d. Evaluating potential interference effects in nearby wells
e. Development of two Environmental Science senior thesis research projects dealing with water level data and pumping data for the cities of Moscow and Pullman.
4. Investigating hydraulic conductivity distributions in Columbia River Basalts (literature search)
5. Field trips to the Snake River canyon and tributaries to locate groundwater discharge points and sample springs and streams for chemical and isotope analysis.
6. Measurement of Almota Creek, Little Almota Creek, and Wawawai Canyon using a pygmy meter.
7. Development of preliminary conceptual hydrogeologic models to test with Modflow to explain the lack of seepage faces along the Snake River canyon.
9. Choice of ten wells for carbon-14 dating analysis; initiate sampling.
10. Determination of d18O on selected spring and stream samples.
11. Preliminary analysis of new d18O data.
Alex Kirk, WSU hydrology graduate student, presented results of new d18O data on baseflow samples collected from tributaries to the Snake River to compare the isotopic signature of springs entering the Snake River to groundwater in the Palouse basin. Despite originating from Grande Ronde basalt exposed in the canyon wall, all samples analyzed are consistent with the shallow (Wanapum) groundwater or surficial water of the Palouse basin, not Grande Ronde groundwater. There is no evidence that Grande Ronde groundwater of the Palouse basin is entering tributaries or the Snake River. Possible explanations for this surprising result include: Grande Ronde groundwater from the Palouse Basin is blocked by a geologic structure which causes it to flow to the northwest, not west to the Snake River, or the isotopic signature of Grande Ronde groundwater is different near the Snake River than it is in the basin. In any case, the concept that the basin is not losing large amounts of groundwater to the Snake River in these locations does not agree with the most recent groundwater model of the basin (completed by the USGS in 1990) and, as PBAC has previously acknowledged, this model should be updated in the future.
The next update on this research will occur in approximately six months.
C. Benjamin modified the 20-Year Plan timeline by assigning individuals, entities, and subcommittees to individual tasks. Committee members were asked for comments, and the subcommittee concept was generally favored. C. Benjamin suggested that there should be some demonstrated progress shown by May 2001 and thought that initially, email correspondence among subcommittee members may be sufficient to get things started. J. McKenna suggested that while the subcommittees should put forth policies, they should also rely on the Executive Secretary/Technical Advisor to do research and other tasks that are needed. L. Kirkland suggested starting with the year 2020, and working backwards to see what steps are required to achieve the desired end result. The subcommittees volunteers are as follows:
Subcommittee 1- Technical (feasibility and costs of
various projects, etc)
Tom Scallorn (Moscow), Art Garro (Pullman), Larry Kirkland (UI), Steve Busch (Moscow)
Subcommittee 2 – Administrative (role of PBAC vs.
entities, legal authority of PBAC, etc)
Jay Becker (UI), Pete Grigas/Craig Benjamin (WSU), Mark Workman (Pullman), Tom Townsend (Latah County)
The legal review from the UI is completed. Comments will be incorporated and the document will be finalized and distributed for signatures.
Entities should submit final Action Plan Compliance Reports (“annual updates”) by March 1, 2001 to J. McKenna. If not performed within the last year, each Entity (all but Latah County and Moscow) should revise their original Action Plan by May 1, 2001 for inclusion in the updated Groundwater Management Plan (GMP). Since this may require approval of City Councils and other administrators, Entities are encouraged to start this process soon.
Idaho – At the request of Representative Tom Trail, a more detailed budget to accompany the funding request from Idaho was provided to Raymond Houston, Office of Budget and Policy Analysis. This budget was prepared on short notice by Craig Benjamin, Larry Kirkland, and Juliet McKenna, with input from Dr. Kent Keller (WSU) and Dr. Jim Osiensky (UI). The budget will be used in support of the request when it is voted on by the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) in February.
Washington – There was nothing new to report on the status of the request from Washington. Several Pullman City Council members and Whitman County Commissioners were in Olympia on the meeting date to meet with lawmakers. Larry Kirkland pointed out that US Army Corps of Engineers funds may be available for construction of the Pullman-WSU wastewater reuse project.
J. McKenna requested approval to combine the budgets for the Annual Report ($800) and the Groundwater Management Plan ($500) to pay for printing and design of an updated, easier to read, annual report in one-color, plus black and white. The cost for printing the GMP can be covered by the budget for general printing costs, since it will be less extensive than originally anticipated. Tom Scallorn motioned, Jay Becker seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
Roy Mink and Craig Benjamin will discuss some options for part-time contract work through IWRRI, that may enable a search for a person who can work full-time (part-time with PBAC and part-time with IWRRI). A staffing subcommittee was set up at the January 2001 meeting. Craig Benjamin will follow up with subcommittee members.
J. McKenna attended American Water Works Association water conservation workshop in Portland, Oregon on February 1-2. She reported that the meeting was moderately useful but could have benefited by presenting more detailed information on implementing conservation programs, and the effectiveness of various types of programs.
Several national organizations and agencies designate the first week in May as Groundwater Awareness Week or Water Week, in order to bring attention to local water issues. PBAC coordinated some activities during Water Week last year. This year, the Moscow Water Department is currently the only entity that is planning on organizing activities. J. McKenna was concerned that if the City of Moscow sponsors advertising, without cooperation of PBAC or the City of Pullman, consumers may not realize that Moscow and Pullman share the same groundwater supply. Tom Scallorn said he would talk to Mark Workman about cooperating on advertising and consumer outreach initiatives.
J. McKenna showed a copy of an article that appeared in the Lewiston Morning Tribune about Palouse area groundwater supplies, which has generated a fair amount of response and interest.
UI and Moscow – J. McKenna and Paul Warnick of UI Arboretum completed a grant request to the Idaho Community Foundation for $5,000 for the Moscow-UI Xeriscape Garden. Both the UI and Moscow have committed funds and support for the project.
Moscow – T. Scallorn reported that the city approved funding a feasibility study by an engineering firm for the reuse of effluent in the city.
Palouse – J. McKenna reported that according to Tom Scallorn, the new well will be fitted with a pump this summer. Landon Beck indicated that he is working with the engineer to include a PVC pipe in the design that will allow access to the well for measuring water levels.
There was an article in the Lewiston Morning Tribune about a proposed UI-WSU dairy farm. Committee members will gather more information and report on this at the next meeting.
Thursday, March 15,
2001 at 2:30 pm
McClure Hall Room 411
The meeting was adjourned by consensus.
Respectfully Submitted,
Juliet M. McKenna
Executive Secretary/Technical Advisor