Regional Water Management Dialog, August 14th
The City of Spokane and the City of Post Falls will host the next meeting of the “Regional Water Management Dialogue” on Thursday, Aug. 14, from 1:30 to 5 p.m. at the Upriver Water & Hydro Electric Facility, 2701 N. Waterworks St.
Elected leaders from Washington and Idaho will again meet to discuss the region’s shared water resources including the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie (SVRP) Aquifer and consider actions to protect water quality and conserve this important resource.
The August meeting is expected to focus on water conservation successes of local jurisdictions and strategies for public education on this important topic. Leaders also will take tours of the Upriver Dam facility and “see” the aquifer in the City’s first municipal well that’s located at the dam.
“Visiting the Upriver Dam in August demonstrates the low flows we see in the Spokane River each year at the end of our hot, dry summers and highlights some of the reasons water conservation is important for our community now and in the future,” says Spokane Mayor Mary Verner. “As we grow as a region, we will need water to ensure our economic health and vitality and to support that growing population.”
Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin says, “Thursday’s discussion will bring our region a step closer to a collective vision to protect our water resources. We will address successful strategies by area leaders and the need for educating the public on what they can do.”
counties, the aquifer is the sole source of drinking water for about 500,000 people. Among a number of findings, the study concluded that:
· The aquifer is replenishing itself annually to meet current population needs, but will be challenged in the future by anticipated population growth.
· Regional lakes and rivers feed the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer system, and the aquifer feeds cool water into the Spokane and Little Spokane rivers.
· Spokane River flows during the summer have declined since USGS records have been kept (late 1800s) with increasing human use of the aquifer considered partially responsible.
Average annual per capita water use in Washington was 114 gallons per day. In Spokane County, it was 217 gallons per day. In Idaho, the average annual per capita use in Idaho was 223 gallons per day. In Bonner County, it was 259 gallons per day, and in Kootenai County it was 216 gallons per day. (USGS, 2000).
Mayors Larkin and Verner hope to conduct two to three such substantive meetings annually on water that focus on water policy.