Numbers in: Palouse uses more H20
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in General Published: Thursday, 04 February 10 - 06:52 PM (GMT -08:00) |
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UI levels increase, WSU's drop by 20 million gallons from 2008-2009
Pumping from Palouse aquifers has increased between 2008 and 2009, despite efforts to conserve water and despite Washington State University's decreased pumping levels, which dropped by 20 million gallons in 2009. Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee executive manager Steve Robischon said in an e-mail that Pullman, Moscow, Colfax, Palouse, WSU and the University of Idaho pumped about 2 percent more water in 2009 than in 2008. "The primary cause appears to be the drier, warmer conditions this past year, especially during June and September," he wrote. Moscow, Pullman, WSU and the UI pumped 2.36 billion gallons in 2008 and 2.38 billion in 2009. Despite this increase, Robischon said he felt the cities' and universities' efforts were working to decrease water use throughout a longer span of time. Robischon said it's difficult to identify what efforts are responsible for pumping reductions. "It appears, at least from my view, that the Moscow conservation ordinance is resulting in less water use in the summer ... and Pullman-WSU is reducing water use throughout the year (with) their rebate program." Pullman and WSU were the only two entities among the two cities and the universities to reduce pumping last year. WSU decreased the most, from about 499 million gallons in 2008 to 479 million in 2009. This is the lowest level WSU has pumped since 1961, when the student body was less than half the size it is today. Robert Corcoran, executive director of WSU facilities "I believe part of it's doing our job, part of it's the right thing to do - conserving water resources," he said. "People are making that as part of their departments' effort." Some of WSU's conservation efforts include the installation of the new steam plant several years ago and the new deionization facility, which prepares water for research purposes, he said. The university also has a water chilling facility that cools water used to cool machinery on campus. Older systems used to drain water that was used to cool machinery, whereas now the university treats and reuses the water. The campus has also replaced many washing machines in residential facilities, installed low-flow shower heads and worked to stop water line breaks quickly and replace leaky ones, Corcoran said. The completion of the golf course also cut back on water at the university, he said. "... Yes, there was a significant drop in water usage from 2009 at the golf course from 2008," he said. "It's not necessarily from the technology or the type of grass that they're using, it's just the fact that they're getting away from construction and using access water to get the grass to grow compared to normal operation." Pullman Public Works Director Mark Workman attributed the city's more than 1 million gallon decrease to the growing public knowledge about the area's water supply "People are more aware now of water issues on the Palouse, that our water comes from an underground aquifer and it is likely a limited supply - or limited recharge to it," Workman said. Moscow Public Works Director Les MacDonald said the city's 42.1 million gallon growth was hard to explain and that water pumping levels are constantly fluctuating. One of the city's essential programs in water conservation is education and outreach, said Nichole Baker, water conservation specialist for the city The UI increased its pumping by 4 percent in 2009, Water Systems Manager Mike Holthaus said. Pumping levels are "based on a hot year or a cold year and what research has been going on," he said. The UI has a cooling facility similar to WSU, which helps to conserve water, Holthaus said. The university also benefits from using the city's effluent water, which is treated by the city and kept in holding ponds owned by the university. The water is then used on much of the school grounds, saving between 80 million and 100 million gallons of water a year, Holthaus said. Looking into the future, both Moscow and Pullman are discussing long-term projects that may help conserve the Grand Ronde Aquifer, from which the Palouse draws most of its water. Pullman has been discussing the option of aquifer storage and recovery, or drawing water from the south fork of the Palouse River and injecting it into the aquifer. The city is also continuously vying for state or federal money to create an effluent water system that would benefit WSU's campus and save millions of gallons of water. "We're trying to position ourselves so that when the grant opportunity comes available, we're able to position ourselves for it," Workman said. Moscow is considering other options, MacDonald said. The city has been discussing the possibility of creating a reservoir to offset some of the groundwater pumping. Moscow is currently drafting a water conservation program that will be put before the City Council this year, MacDonald said. MacDonald said the program, if passed, could involve rebate programs to encourage the use of water-efficient devices such as toilets or washing machines. On the Web: The PBAC 20009 Water Use Report will be completed on Feb. 18 and will contain information on Moscow, Pullman, WSU, UI, Colfax and Palouse: www.webs.uidaho.edu/pbac/. Sarah Mason can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 234, or by e-mail to smason@dnews.com.
By Sarah Mason Daily News staff writer
February 4, 2010
operations, said the campus has taken many steps to decrease water use.
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