H2O Breakfast serves up regional water conversation
“When we no longer had the luxury of battle, collaboration was our only alternative.”
Pat Mulroy, Southern Nevada Water Authority
H20 Breakfast, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
At a sold out breakfast attended by over one hundred sixty people from the bi-state region, Mulroy’s message was loud and clear. Argue and fight over water for as long as you want, but at the end of the day there’s only so much to go around, particularly for a growing population. When the survival of all is at stake, collaboration is the only viable option.
Of course our region isn’t Las Vegas. Here, water has historically been a plentiful resource to help drive our local economies. Times, however, are slowly changing. Our regional population is expected to grow from today’s five hundred fifty thousand to between eight hundred thousand and one million over the next thirty years. That’s a lot of new people and businesses consuming water from the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer.
As a sole source aquifer, meaning it’s the principle source of drinking water in our bi-state region, experts on both sides of the border agree our region’s future depends on maintaining the aquifer’s water quality and availability. Said Guy Gregory with the Department of Ecology, “One thing we learned from a study jointly conducted by both states and the U.S. Geological Survey is that there isn’t a significant danger that we’re over utilizing the aquifer. But the other thing we learned is how significantly the groundwater aquifer and the surface water of this region depend on each other, and how much pumping affects it. To sustain our lakes and river flows for people, fish and habitat, we’re going to need to work together to manage this magnificent system.”
Mulroy’s perspective was echoed at the breakfast by Gary Spackman, Interim Director of the Idaho Water Resources Department, and Ted Sturdevant, Director of Washington Department of Ecology. The directors shared their belief that the best solutions are those that will come from local water purveyors, municipalities and other stakeholders. Local authorities were encouraged to work cooperatively across state lines.
From Mulroy’s perspective, “… your water right seniority makes no difference in a municipal environment. Shortage must be shared across political lines.” Although her perspective challenges the history of water rights and allocation in both states, its reality begins the conversation of what cooperation instead of litigation looks like.
In Idaho, the Idaho Water Resource Board recently adopted the locally developed Comprehensive Aquifer Management Plan (CAMP). One objective of the plan is to “Prevent and Resolve Water Conflicts,” including “developing a framework for regional discussion and cooperation for SVRPA water issues.” Said Alan Miller with the Hayden Lake Irrigation District, “We’re taking the CAMP objective seriously. With the breakfast as a springboard, we’re reaching out to the Spokane Aquifer Joint Board and others in Washington to consider how to go about cooperatively planning.”
Both the CAMP and Washington Watershed Planning (WRIA) plans point at conservation, best management practices and other tools as ways to help assure meeting our future needs. Said Rob Lindsay with Spokane County Utilities, “Both plans arrive at similar conclusions from different directions. We need to collaborate regionally to secure our regional water future.”
As with many questions about our region’s future, we must ask ourselves if a crisis must be at hand before collective action ensues. The hope from most who attended the H20 breakfast is that we begin in earnest now as the best investment possible to assure quality of life and growth opportunities for future generations.