On the WaterfrontOn the Waterfront| Download audio of the panel discussion at the Radio Free Moscow Web site. |
On March 10, 2003, the Moscow Civic Association hosted a panel discussion on local water issues. Panelists included Dr. E Kirsten Peters, WSU Geologist; Tom Townsend, longtime Latah County Representative to the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee (PBAC); Dr. Bill French, founder of the Palouse Water Conservation Network (PWCN); and Rachael Paschal Osborne, Spokane attorney specializing in water law.
Although over 160 engineering and hydrological studies of Moscow’s water supply system have been completed, there are still unknowns. Dr. Peters gave easy-to-understand explanations of geologic principles and facts about the Palouse Basin.
Tom Townsend spoke on behalf of PBAC. When questioned about PBAC’s efficacy in halting groundwater declines, he replied that without PBAC’s efforts little would be accomplished. Lately, PBAC’s focus is on research; conservation has become tertiary to the group’s activities. At the February PBAC meeting, Mr. Townsend’s suggestion to hold evening meetings to allow increased public attendance met with criticism by other PBAC members. Previously kept current with minutes and upcoming meeting agendas, the PBAC Web site has not been updated in over a year. While the site still contains a wealth of data, the general public is left to wonder what is currently being accomplished.
The objective of a sound conservation plan is to use our water resource wisely and efficiently, states Dr. French, whether or not the aquifer is declining. However, groundwater mining, which is forbidden by state law, is occurring and the least expensive “source” of additional water is conservation. Many questions from the audience concerned the Naylor Farms, LLC, water rights application. While this is a very important issue, Dr. French reminds us that current water use in the basin is 2.7 billion gallons per year, nearly five times the amount that Naylor proposes to withdraw under their revised application. Declining aquifer levels must be addressed no matter what happens with the Naylor application.
With historically declining levels, we should be operating as though there is a moratorium on new water rights, added Attorney Rachael Osborne. It would be in Idaho’s best interests to look carefully at Washington water laws. Citizens need to be asking hard questions of the Idaho Department of Water Resources.
In his response to a potential moratorium on new water rights (Moscow-Pullman Daily News, 3/12/03), Latah County Rural Development Coordinator Chris Storhok is concerned that this could spell disaster for small towns in Latah County that are desperate for development. This response is misguided on three counts. First, Moscow is the only town in Latah County drawing water from the Grande Ronde aquifer—a moratorium would not affect water use in other towns. Second, it assumes development can only occur with increasing water use, rather than more efficient water use. Third, the idea that a community can only thrive with unlimited growth and development is a notion that must disappear, hopefully before the water does.
Post-World War II economy was based on a planned scheme for consumerism—and it worked. The economy grew, people consumed and planned obsolescence became an accepted norm. We become anxious when we consider voluntary reductions of any type. But, we must begin to imagine a “restorative economy” where having less is truly more satisfying, more interesting, and of course, more secure.
In the relatively near future, we must achieve a balance between what we are consuming and the capacity of the earth’s ecosystems to provide, according to author and businessman Paul Hawken. “We need to create an economy… that is not an either/or argument, but a means to create the best life for the greatest number of people precisely because we do not know the eventual outcome or impact of our current industrial practices. In other words, we need an economy based on more humility.”
| Download audio of the panel discussion at the Radio Free Moscow Web site. |
Dianne French, co-founder of PWCN has lived in Moscow 15 years, loves to drink water, take short showers, and let native plants grow in her yard.
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